Will ultrasound save from bedbugs: an invisible force in the fight against bloodsuckers
Mankind has been waging a war with domestic bugs since time immemorial, inventing and inventing more and more new methods. A modern bedbug repeller is a fairly popular tool in the fight against these blood-sucking insects. It is easy to use, effective and inexpensive. In addition, the device allows you not to use toxic drugs that are dangerous for humans in the apartment.
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The main types of devices for repelling bedbugs
There are several varieties of pest repellers, the work of which is based on the use of certain physical and chemical effects. They can be ultrasonic, magnetic resonance, aromatic and combined.
Ultrasound devices
Electromagnetic devices
Fragrant repellers (fumigators)
The fumigator acts on insects by means of a specific unpleasant odor for them, emanating from special solutions and aromatic plates. The effect is achieved by heating the substance with a spiral in the device. The active component enters the body of the bloodsucker, and the infected bug spreads the toxin throughout the colony.
Devices used against home bugs are divided into:
- burning spirals;
- aerosol means;
- smoke bombs;
- electric.
Combined
These electronic devices consist of two elements, one of which emits ultrasonic and the other electromagnetic waves. In this case, the radiation occurs alternately, so that the insects cannot get used to the operation of the device.
The double effect is even more detrimental to the parasites, creating impossible living conditions for them and quickly driving the bloodsuckers out of the house. Combined action repellers are considered the most effective in the fight against bedbugs.
How does an ultrasonic bed bug repeller work?
Ultrasonic devices from bed bloodsuckers are developed on the basis of mosquito repellers, but in the case of bedbugs, the device emits special signals that they perceive as vibrations and sounds of danger. The operation of the gadget disrupts the life cycle of insects. As a result, the parasites stop feeding, lose their ability to reproduce, and leave their uncomfortable habitat. The shape and frequency of the pulses are constantly changing, not allowing the bedbugs to develop an habituation effect.
The mechanism of operation of ultrasonic repellers is based on the emission of sounds of a certain frequency, which negatively affect the nervous system of insects, causing them stress and panic. To understand how waves act on small pests, you need to remember their structure. The body of arthropods is covered with a chitinous shell, acting as a skeleton. Its scales resonate under any mechanical impact, including under the influence of acoustic noise. The outgoing waves generate vibrations in the nerve cells of pests of such force that they are literally torn from the inside. Noises prevent parasites from orienting themselves in space and concentrating on the search for prey.
Not all devices in this group are effective. Cheap devices equipped with an LED, an inexpensive sensor and a pulse generator circuit on 1-2 microcircuits or transistors are significantly inferior in efficiency to more expensive models. High-quality ultrasonic devices have a professional powerful sound sensor, a separate powerful power supply, a well-executed indication, one or more boards on microelements and mode switches. However, as numerous experiments have shown, with the help of electronic bedbug repellers alone, most likely, it will not be possible to completely get rid of them. The devices will need to be used on an ongoing basis, for preventive purposes, or in combination with other pest control methods. And one more thing - the gadget needs time. The first results of the work can be seen not immediately, but after 1-2 weeks of use, and the complete disappearance of bedbugs should be expected only after a month of regular use.
In most cases, ultrasound does not pose a danger to humans, because it is simply not perceived by human hearing. However, some models of ultrasonic repellers with increased power can irritate the human nervous system, causing headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety and other symptomatic conditions. Therefore, it is strongly not recommended to use them in the presence of people, and even more so in children's rooms, bedrooms.
Gadgets with low frequency radiation also adversely affect some pets: hamsters, guinea pigs, decorative rats, reptiles, insects, etc. For other species and larger animals, ultrasound is not so terrible.
Popular models of ultrasonic repellers
Today on the market there are different models of ultrasound devices recommended for use in residential and non-residential premises. Particularly popular are universal devices that are suitable for fighting not only bedbugs, but also other uninvited guests in the house: cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, rodents, etc. Depending on the brand of the manufacturer, they may have different technical characteristics, design features, dimensions and cost.
How to make a bedbug repeller with your own hands
People who know how to work with a soldering iron and are at least a little familiar with basic knowledge in the field of radio electronics are quite capable of making such a device with their own hands. There are many schemes for insect repellers on the Internet, and components for the device can be purchased at a radio store.
Typical scheme and principle of operation of the device
Here is one of the typical gadget schemes. The KR1006VI1 microcircuit is used here as a time-setting element. It generates voltage pulses, the duration and frequency of which can be adjusted by changing the values of the components C1 and R2.
A change in the resistance of resistor R2 causes a frequency shift from 200 to 55000 Hz. The required adjustable frequency for insects, including bed bugs, is 20000 Hz. From the third output of the KR1006VI1 timer, an alternating voltage of the desired frequency enters the sensor, which is the speaker.
Using the variable resistor R3, the signal power is adjusted. If the KR1006VI1 controller is not available, the repeller can be designed on its closest imported analogues, for example, the NE555 chip.
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