I heard some scratching behind a corner in the basement ceiling, so I figured I’d check to see what Menards sells. They had a silly Pest-A-Cator 2000 Electronic Rodent Repeller in-stock, so I grabbed one. I was curious what was inside the box and what guarantees the manufacturer made.

The manual inside appeared to be some word salad that the device is a phase shifter for the electricity in your house. Seemed like a fancy phenomenon to me, so I decided to research it and see if there was any truth to it.

Brief enforcement history…

From 1985 through 1997, FTC brought law enforcement actions against six companies that manufacture devices like the Pest-A-Cator 2000. In 2003, the Pest-A-Cator was part of a docket launched by FTC; however, the ensuing consent order shows the sales restrictions only last for 20 years, which have now lapsed, hence why I was able to find a Pest-A-Cator on a Menards shelf. More FTC info on Charles Patterson, here.

Science, please help me!

Seems EPA (Publication No. EPA 340102-80-001) and USDA have done some research on these devices and the results are anything but favorable.

I found more along the way that was also not favorable toward these products, but the links above are the highlights. Why a company like Menards carries products like this is frustrating. Maybe I’ll ask them more about it later and this post might be a spring-board for bullet points. For now, I am returning the Pest-A-Cator 2000 and will start to look into cameras to figure where the little critters are getting in.