Something smells around here ...

[D2o]

Hi all,

I don't know what's going on in my neighbourhood, but my property seems to have become a haven for small animals ... many squirrels and raccoons, some cats and dogs, and the occasional skunk thrown in ... in case I didn't notice all the traffic I guess.

I noticed, skunk ... thank you, I get it ... go away now.

So I am wondering if there is some way to use a high pitched electronically generated tone to drive them away, or at least retard their entrance into the area. Maybe some way of producing a constant or a pulse tone in the 60 kHz to 100 kHz range (kind of an electronic dog whistle, I suppose)?

Is that an appropriate frequency range? Would I end up attracting or repelling said critters? Is that idea likely to retard ... or is it that idea already retarded? ;D

If it might repel them - how might I do this? I can't play the tone through a speaker, it's outside of the typical speaker's frequency range.

If anyone has any experience with this kind of situation (maybe a deer problem in your yard in a rural area or something) ... or any ideas at all, please don't hesitate to chime in.

I've already tried using the tones from my guitar as a repellant ... unfortunately that only seems to work on my wife.

D2o

[andy]

Well, this is a UK website, but I've found these things to be quite effective. I'm sure a quick search for something similar in your area will come up with plenty of results. I think you can get them through Amazon too.

www.primrose-london.co.uk/stop-pest-pest-repeller-p-1273.html

I don't now about all the electromagnetisism claims, or the positive ions, but I don't got no mice no more!

[ChrisK]

I don't now about all the electromagnetisism claims, or the positive ions, but I don't got no mice no more!

Oh, come on, give quackery a chance....



Oh, uh, does this mean that you do get some mice some more?

If anyone has any experience with this kind of situation (maybe a deer problem in your yard in a rural area or something)

I live in such an area. We generally use a liberal ( ;D ;D ;D) application of jacketed lead projectiles at around 1,200 to 3,300 fps. This seems to work well on any critter not wearing kevlar.

[andy]

Nov 6, 2008 13:51:23 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

Oh, uh, does this mean that you do get some mice some more?

Sorry, I should clear this up.

Don't- abv. 'Do Not'

Got- 'Aquired'

No- 'an abscence of'

Mice- 'Small rodent, plural'

No More- 'Any Longer'

Therefore, I do not aquired an abscence of small rodent(s) any longer.

Glad to be of service!



However given that

We generally use a liberal ( ;D ;D ;D) application of jacketed lead projectiles at around 1,200 to 3,300 fps.

, I really ought to keep my cheeky mouth shut.

[newey]

I don't know about high-frequency electronic sounds, but up in the Northwoods they sell "Deer Whistles" that mount to the front of your car and emit a high frequency sound as air moves through the whistle while you're driving.

They were somewhat of a fad up North a few years back until people realized (the hard impact way!) that they don't work.

[ChrisK]

They were great at moving cash out of yer wallet.

[D2o]

Thanks, guys.

Andy, that may be just the thing!

Chris, that WAS just the thing at one time, as a point of fact. But I don't live in the boonies anymore.

Newey, I remember those deer whistle things too!

I think I'll look into something like Andy's idea.

D2o

P.S. What about something like an HP 204C variable oscillator / signal generator? ... would something like that also work, and do these things actually generate an audible tone ... or do they just generate a signal that can only be viewed on an oscilloscope?

Nov 6, 2008 18:33:45 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

They were great at moving cash out of yer wallet.

... or will that also just move cash out of my wallet?

[D2o]

P.S. What about something like an HP 204C variable oscillator / signal generator? ... would something like that also work, and do these things actually generate an audible tone ... or do they just generate a signal that can only be viewed on an oscilloscope?

Just nudging this.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if such a device as the HP 204C produces an audible tone, or is it just a signal that can only be read on the oscilloscope?

D2o

[ashcatlt]

It appears to create a relatively small oscillating output voltage. What you do with it from there is up to you. That is, I don't believe it has anything built in which would transduce that output into airborne pressure changes which we might call sound.

A small amplifier with sufficient hi-frequency response should be easy to accomplish with just a small number of components. The hard part will likely be a transducer which will reproduce "sound" in the spectrum above human hearing.

I personally have never seen any of the pre-packaged ultrasonic pest deterrents work. We thought the one we had was working for a while, but either the mice got used to it or (more likely) they hadn't moved in for the winter yet.

If it was just me, I'd leave them alone. The wife, though, has an unreasonable aversion to sharing food with non-humans. Also, something about poop on our eating utensils and cookware. I refuse to kill the poor little bastards just for trying to keep warm and fed, so we use non-lethal traps. Of course, you know, once we catch mom and dad and let them loose on some unsuspecting folks down the road, what happens to the nest full of babies? And then, when the mites which have infested that nest find that their food source is gone, where do you suppose they will look next?

[D2o]

A small amplifier with sufficient hi-frequency response should be easy to accomplish with just a small number of components. The hard part will likely be a transducer which will reproduce "sound" in the spectrum above human hearing.

yup ... there is the rub.

I refuse to kill the poor little bastards just for trying to keep warm and fed, so we use non-lethal traps.

I am deplorably pragmatic ... well, at least I have been forced to be because none of the non-lethal traps that I have tried have worked (and that ain't not just Andy's british reverse-double-talk, not either ). Some of the spring traps have worked, though.

Of course, you know, once we catch mom and dad and let them loose on some unsuspecting folks down the road, what happens to the nest full of babies? And then, when the mites which have infested that nest find that their food source is gone, where do you suppose they will look next?

yuck! I admit I hadn't thought that far ahead. Still, they have crapped all over everything in the basement ... so ... on balance, I guess I'm more or less okay with it.

Thanks, Ash - sounds like all the oscillator idea will repel is my savings.

D2o

[ChrisK]

For mice I use the plastic resettable traps. I've found that I need to anchor them with nylon cord (mice will eat organic string) as the victim tends to wander off whilst "engaged".

They're very easy to deal with; I just open the trap over a waste bag and then place it "back in service".

For larger vermin I use the "Havaheart" spring cage traps.

For ground hogs, a rag soaked in ammonia stuffed into the burrow works well. They move on.

Not having a garden works wonders.......


I have made repellers using a tweeter and an audio oscillator (not formal test equipment) at about 22 to 40 Khz. If you have dogs, they will notice these. Of course, I first made these for dogs.....A neighbor had dogs that were put out at 7 am and barked forever. I set my oscillator to go on at 3 am.....

I used an LM386 audio amplifier IC and a Mr. Coffee coffee pot timer (these were a few bucks at every surplus place 10 years ago).

www.national.com/ds/LM/LM386.pdf

[cynical1]

Play that Hellstorm "Immigrant Song" clip. They'll run into the street looking for cars...

ca.youtube.com/watch?v=s9QYWXwf-IQ

[D2o]

Marvelous!

Why didn't I see this before?

Hellstorm's rendition of "Immigrant Song", played through an LM386 audio amplifier IC and a Mr. Coffee coffee pot timer (and optional pot as a subwoofer).

2:43 ... that's the moment that made me a believer.

D2o

[ChrisK]

They'll run into the street looking for cars...

to run them over.....