Termite Farts and How Scientists Hope to Learn From Them

Now husbands everywhere can blame termites for letting one rip. Scientists have found that termite mounds feature a built-in system that filter methane. Studying this has inspired them to search for new ways to keep methane out of the atmosphere.

Because methane is a greenhouse gas, even more potent than carbon dioxide, it’s a bigger concern for our environment and climate change. Termites produce methane emissions, but interestingly, because of their built-in methane filtration systems in their mounds, the methane essentially gets scrubbed before it hits the atmosphere.

While we certainly don’t want termites in our own homes, studying them in the open world in a garden or forest, for example, has given scientists new hope that they too may find something to help our current climate change woes by analyzing the farts of termites.

As scientists work to study how the termite mounds are beneficial to clearing the air, pardon the pun, measuring the net methane emissions was crucial. They simply needed to confine the mounds to analyze how much open air lies within each. Termite mounds are very porous and complex. There’s no one-size-fits-all to them.

Once they set everything up, it was time to see how much methane certain bacteria could consume once it was injected into it. With methane and argon (used as a tracer), they could see how much methane had been consumed by the bacteria. Half of the methane was taken away by the methanotrophs. So far, the studies of termite farts have encompassed three different species of termites and 29 mounds, leading scientists to believe that this may be the missing piece to what they have been searching for. If we use these technics in actuality, we might be able to “scrub” the methane out of the air and repair our atmosphere.

It’s certainly fascinating stuff, particularly to learn that studying the passing of gas could be the key to turning our climate problems around and building a better future for our planet. Likely though, you probably don’t want a mound of termites on your property to test this theory of farts out for yourself.

If that’s the case, you can call us at Spears Pest Control in Crestview, FL. We specialize in termite control as well as other pest control services. We’re a veteran-owned business and are happy to serve our area with honesty and integrity. You don’t need to study termite emissions, however, we’re happy to come in for a free estimate so you can enjoy
your home and yard without pests plaguing you.

Call us today and let us give you complete peace of mind by ensuring any pests from roaches and termites to mosquitoes and bed bugs are removed from your property.