Oh, no he didn't say that

Last weekend while at my MIL's for computer repair I was standing in front of her kitchen closet deciding what snack to have when I noticed this constant buzzing sound. I stood still and listened for its origin and wondered aloud what it was. It was seriously driving me crazy and so I wandered into her living room where I thought the noise might be. Once there I stood again and listened and then followed the noise to an outlet behind a table next to her fireplace. Plugged into the wall was this:

I pulled it out of the wall and the noise stopped. I examined it. The words Black & Decker were on the top, a little light was under that, and on the right side of the device was another plug. I turned it over and over in my hand and wondered what the heck the thing was and why there was another plug on the side. I finally gave up and laid it down on the little table, returning to my eating dilemma.

Eventually after consuming some unhealthy treats, I returned to the kitchen where I stood in front of the refrigerator eating green grapes from a plate. As I chowed I registered yet another buzzing sound this one a tad higher and more buzzy. Wondering aloud what in the world was happening in this house, I followed the noise to another outlet behind her kitchen chair where I found the same thing plugged into the wall. I pulled it out and the noise stopped. I examined it again, and after finding it to be the exact copy of the first one, returned it to its plug and went into the living room to retrieve the first one. That one I took in to the computer room to show my husband.

Me: "What is this?"

Tom: "I don't know. What is it?"

Me: "I have no idea which is why I'm asking you. There are two of them in this house and both are making god awful buzzing noises that I don't think your mother hears."

Tom: "They're probably some kind of roach killer."

Me: "What? Plugged into the wall? How does that kill roaches?"

Tom: "I don't know. Look it up."

So I did. I searched Black & Decker wall plugs and the first thing that popped up was a pack of three of these things at Amazon. When I went to the page I discovered that they were indeed direct plug in insect repellers great for insect and bug control. The description, which I read aloud to Tom, said it repelled mice, roaches, spiders, and other pests by emitting a constant changing of complex ultrasonic sounds that were silent to humans. Because only "pests hear sounds in the ultrasonic range."

Tom: "There you go. Only pests hear those sounds. I rest my case."

Cara: "You rest your case? What does that mean?"

Tom: "You heard the buzzing, right? Only pests hear that."

Cara: "Are you saying that I'm a pest?"

Tom: "I can't speak for my mother as to why she has those all over her house, but in her defense she didn't know you were coming over here today."

Cara: "You keep it up buddy you might just might find out what this pest is really capable of!"