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Ant smell (mander.xyz)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Never in my life has an ant had any smell whatsoever. I was today years old when I realized people could smell ants.

In fact, I’ll go one step further. I grew up on a farm, tons of bugs. The only bug that I can ever remember smelling are those stupid Asian stink bugs invasive thingies that seem to have proliferated in the northeast US recently. When you squish them, they smell like green apples.

I can’t think of any other bug that smells at all - even when they are squished.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm convinced these people are just making it up, I've been alive nearly 40 years and not once heard of this being a thing.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean, they probably DO smell - but like I’ve never gotten on my hands and knees and sniffed any bug up close. Maybe these people are more sensitive to smells and can pick them up yards away - or a whole colony?

But ya it’s weird that I’ve never heard of this at all. I had heard of people born with tails or horns, females with beards, color blindness, tiger stripes on skin, the asparagus thing, rain man, hemaphrodites, on and on…

But today I learned ants smell ;)

[–] scottywh 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I can smell them from many many yards away.

There is definitely no need to get close or try to smell them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

So weird! Ants are everywhere. It must get annoying if they stink…