At work today I noticed a “plug in pest free” device, its LED cheerfully lit, besides the water cooler. On a bit of investigation I found this claim on the product’s website (http://tinyurl.com/udnn) :
It alters the existing electro magnetic field in your electrical wiring, reaching deep into the walls, ceilings, cupboards and crevices affecting the sensitive metabolism of pests, making your home a ‘no go’ zone.
Is my water cooler (and the office as a whole) better off as a result of using this device or might (as I suspect) the money have been better spent on the Christmas party (which always attracts a large number of pests)?
The Federal Trade Commission (United States of America) has pretty much concluded they don’t work. Here’s the latest of many consent decrees in which manufacturers have agreed to stop making claims about the effectiveness of these electronic devices.
(It’s also my personal experience is that they don’t work).