February courtships, marijuana, and beer share common chemistry

New musky smells in the neighborhood or wafting into your car on the way to work in February aren’t just the latest dispensary or marijuana grow operation to hit full bloom, but the original: skunks.

Love is in the air for this region’s two amorous Pepe Le Pew’s species: striped and spotted skunks. According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the mating season starts in late winter and runs through early spring. And, it turns out, amorous mustelids, weed, and beer actually share common chemistry.

Here are a few new things to know about one of the most recognizable of Oklahoma’s odors.

ABCs and 321s

Scientists have only recently discovered a fundamental truth that ties together skunks, skunky cannabis, and even stale beer. All share a particular molecular compound called 3-methyl-2-butene- 1-thiol, commonly called 321 MBT.

Research published in 2021 erased a common generalized misassignment of the smell by discovering that a skunk’s musk and that of cannabis/ hemp and beer all share this same sulfur component in their chemical profile.

Byers Scientific noted, “The relationship between skunky’ beer and cannabis should probably not be surprising since the skunky’ beer odor comes from hops, which are in the same plant family (Cannabaceae) as cannabis and hemp.”

Courtship in the air

Skunks belong to the mustelid family, which includes weasels, minks, badgers, and otters, all of which possess similar musk glands, but none as odiferous as the skunks, which can cause nausea and temporary blindness in attackers.

While Warner Bros. Looney Tunes characterized their Pepe Le Pew as a French Casanova with a plant-wilting aroma trailing off his tail, females are the most odiferous ones this time of year. Pepe plays his role, however, as pest control experts report that the smell in the air (or possibly under your house or in your barn) often results from females repelling unwanted suitors.

Skunks do not hibernate in winter but will find a dry, underground location and often snooze through the coldest days. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports that males will stay in the same den as the females with whom they mate, but they will mate with multiple females.

Avoid bumps in the night

Skunks are primarily nocturnal but often roam in the hours immediately before and after sunrise and sunset.

They are more active during mating season and more likely to wander, and most of Oklahoma, including urban areas, is skunk country. Watching out along the highways and even in your backyard is wise.

Skunks don’t look for something to spray; most will posture first to offer a warning. Their glands hold fluid enough for five or six shots and can spray up to 12 feet, so give them plenty of space.

Avoid trouble with skunks at home by keeping your dog on a leash, especially in the evening, and giving a fair warning (shouting works) to anything in your backyard before you step out

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into the dark.

Leftovers, pet food, and greasy barbecues might attract skunks, so a clean yard is safer.

Unfortunately Drivers face a challenge, as the skunk’s black-andwhite fur matches the colors of a blacktop road. Their tiny eyes reflect with a deep amber eyeshine in headlights, so if you are lucky enough to spot those little narrow-set peepers, slow down or suffer the lasting effects.

Thanks to Krebaum

Paul Krebaum, a chemist for the Molex Corporation in Lisle, Illinois, is widely heralded for developing a simple home recipe odor remover that works on skunk spray in 1993.

The ingredients are simple, but they always come with a warning to use the mix immediately because it quickly loses its effectiveness and to never mix or store it in a closed container because the chemical reaction creates expanding gasses that will pop a top-or worse.

The mixture reacts with the thiols in skunk scents, rendering them inert.

Here is that recipe, courtesy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (fresh bottle), Vi cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and 1-2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap.

The Oklahoma Ecology Project is a nonprofit dedicated to in-depth reporting on Oklahoma’s conservation and environmental issues. Learn more at okecology.org