Photo: Wikipedia
The sense of smell, like other senses, varies from person to person. This becomes clear when we think about how many variations of perfume there are and how each individual perceives them.
The way people smell depends on the arrangement of some amino acids in their genes. We have about 400 genes responsible for smell, resulting in about 900,000 amino acid variations.
Therefore, it often happens that not everyone smells like you. It's possible that some people don't feel anything at all. On the other hand, there are people who say they can smell insects hiding in their home, such as cockroaches and ants. Is that true? Let's find out!
The smell of each ant depends on the species
(Source: Shutterstock)
If you're one of those people who smells ants, you may have noticed that they don't smell particularly good. However, this can vary from species to species. According to ant expert Clint Penick of Kennesaw University, there are more than 13,000 species of ants, and one way to distinguish them is precisely by smell. However, not all of them have an odor detectable by the human nose.
Penick divides ant smells into four types. The first are ants of the species Lasius interjectus and Lasius claviger, which smell of citronella and, according to the researcher, emit this smell in order to make themselves less appetizing to the noses of predators.
The second and also most common type are the sessile tapinoma ants, which are usually found in our homes. For the researcher, their smell is somewhere between blue cheese and rancid butter. The third type are Formica and Camponotus ants, which smell of formic acid and can repel bears when they come together to exhale their scent.
The final smell proves that ants don't just thrive on horrible smells. Odontomachus smells similar to chocolate.
Cockroaches also have a smell
(Source: Shutterstock)
Cockroaches use smell to communicate with each other which is also common with ants. To warn their colleagues about food, predators or even possible breeding pairs, they breathe out their not so pleasant smell.
Additionally, if you smell cockroaches but don't see them, it's best to apply pest control to the area. This is because there is likely a nest of cockroaches nearby as they mark their territory with urine and feces. At the end of the day, people who don't smell ants and cockroaches don't realize how lucky they are!