Depo shoppers discover source of annoying high-pitched sound: ultrasonic bird repellents
A woman on social media says she finally solved the mystery of an unpleasant high-pitched noise heard near some shelves in Depo stores — the sound is produced by ultrasonic bird deterrent devices. Her post resonated with many other shoppers who had heard it but could not explain it.
For years, a shopper said she had been puzzled by a high, unpleasant sound that seemed to come from certain shelves at the retailer Depo. The noise was so striking that it hurt her ears, yet people around her often did not appear to notice it.
She found the answer during a visit to Bauska Castle, where she encountered a similar but much stronger sound in several spots. It was so intense that she had to cover her ears. There she noticed small devices and realised they were ultrasonic bird repellents.
Back at Depo, she examined the area around the shelves with nuts, bread and similar products, and located the same kind of device, which she described as a “torture instrument”.
Her social media post prompted many responses. Several commenters said they had heard the same noise in Depo and often felt alone in hearing it, because their companions could not perceive it. One woman mentioned the Depo store on Krasta Street, saying the sound in the middle of the shop made her feel sick, while her boyfriend could not understand what she was complaining about.
Another commenter said she had started to think she was going crazy, because the sound hurt her ears and no one else seemed to hear it. Others said they tried to spend as little time as possible in the food section precisely because of the noise. The original poster added that, according to her research, most adults do not hear this frequency, and joked: “Maybe we are special!”
Some users joked that it was now clear why birds that fly into Depo never go to the food section. The post appears to have solved the mystery for many shoppers who had experienced the sound but could not identify its source.
