Physical assessments of termites (Termitidae) under 2.45 GHz microwave irradiation

2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1551

Under resonance conditions, 2.45 GHz microwaves could heat and kill termites. Termites were described as tolerant to microwave irradiation, attributed to low permittivity. Traveling-mode microwaves produced little heat but increased organic radicals in termit…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Physical assessments of termites (Termitidae) under 2.45 GHz microwave irradiation Yanagawa A, Kajiwara A, Nakajima H, Desmond-Le Quéméner E, Steyer JP, Lewis V, Mitani T. Physical assessments of termites (Termitidae) under 2.45 GHz microwave irradiation. Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 23;10(1):5197. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61902-6. Abstract Demands for chemical-free treatments for controlling insect pests are increasing worldwide. One such treatment is microwave heating; however, two critical issues arise when using microwaves as a heat source: intensive labor and excessive energy-consumption. Optimization is thus required to reduce energy consumption while effectively killing insects. Currently, the lethal effect of microwaves on insects is considered to be due to the temperature of the irradiated materials. This study examines how the conditions of irradiation, such as resonance or traveling mode, changed the conversion of electromagnetic energy into heat when 2.45 GHz microwaves penetrated the body of the termite, C. formosanus. Our results indicated that it is possible to heat and kill termites with microwaves under resonance condition. Termites were however found to be very tolerant to microwave irradiation as the permittivity of the insect was low compared with other reported insects and plants. Electron spin resonance revealed that termites contained several paramagnetic substances in their bodies, such as Fe3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, and organic radicals. Interestingly, irradiation with traveling microwaves hardly produced heat, but increased the organic radicals in termite bodies indicating non-thermal effects of microwaves. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationTermites (Termitidae), C. formosanus

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 2450 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Heating/temperature increase in termites under microwave irradiation
Termite mortality (killing) under microwave irradiation
Permittivity of termite body
Paramagnetic substances in termite bodies (Fe3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, organic radicals)
Organic radical levels after irradiation (electron spin resonance)
Comparison of resonance vs traveling microwave modes for heat generation

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata
Exposure duration and dosimetry (e.g., SAR/power density) not reported in the provided abstract/metadata
Findings are in termites; generalizability to other organisms is not addressed in the provided abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Termites (Termitidae), C. formosanus",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Heating/temperature increase in termites under microwave irradiation",
    "Termite mortality (killing) under microwave irradiation",
    "Permittivity of termite body",
    "Paramagnetic substances in termite bodies (Fe3+, Cu2+, Mn2+, organic radicals)",
    "Organic radical levels after irradiation (electron spin resonance)",
    "Comparison of resonance vs traveling microwave modes for heat generation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Under resonance conditions, 2.45 GHz microwaves could heat and kill termites. Termites were described as tolerant to microwave irradiation, attributed to low permittivity. Traveling-mode microwaves produced little heat but increased organic radicals in termite bodies, which the authors interpreted as indicating non-thermal effects.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata",
    "Exposure duration and dosimetry (e.g., SAR/power density) not reported in the provided abstract/metadata",
    "Findings are in termites; generalizability to other organisms is not addressed in the provided abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "2.45 GHz",
    "microwave irradiation",
    "termite",
    "C. formosanus",
    "resonance condition",
    "traveling mode",
    "heating",
    "mortality",
    "permittivity",
    "electron spin resonance",
    "organic radicals",
    "non-thermal effects"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61902-6
PubMed: Not supplied

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