It is pretty hard to forgive termites after having your property destroyed by them. And you should not think too highly of termites, because many termites, especially some from North America, are downright damaging to the environment. In fact, some studies suggest that termites contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Then again, there are many species of termites on this planet, and not all of them are so damaging. Most termites are not damaging to property or the environment, and they prefer to spend their lives in hiding. There is strong evidence that shows some termite species as being beneficial to the environment.
All termites are somewhat beneficial in that they consume cellulose, which is the most abundant organic compound on earth. This is not good if termites choose the wood in your home to feed on, but the natural environment if full of dead plant life that needs to be removed in order to allow for new plant life to grow in its place. Termites are perfect for consuming this dead plant life since they consume such high amounts of cellulose. Once termites consume all of the dead plant life in a particular region, the soil is once again free to receive the nutrients necessary to produce more plant life. If you think that termites are not numerous enough to consume an entire regions worth of dead plant life, then you would be wrong. In fact, some underground termite nests spread fifty meters in all directions. Also, the combined mass of all termites on earth is estimated to be around 445 million tons.
Termites also produce unique saliva, which they use to build vast underground tunnels. This underground tunnel building allows soil to receive the oxygen necessary for plant life to grow. In other words, termites essentially aerate the soil in regions where they are active. This means that crops located near termite colonies could actually improve crop yields, and there has already been one study that demonstrates this occurrence. More studies are necessary in order to understand the extent to which termites benefit the natural environment.
Have you ever spotted a termite nest that looked like a tall mound of dirt? If you have, then where were you located when you spotted the nest?