From time to time, viral posts appear on the Internet where some people claim that they can smell ants. Every time these posts appear, it’s discussed why some people perceive this scent and why others don’t, or whether it’s a hoax. The situation was not very different in a TikTok video that has been shared recently.
One person replied, “My ex used to say it smelled spicy,” while another replied, “Dead ants have an odor that resembles chemicals like insect venom.”
Another objected, “THIS IS A JOKE, [ANTS] DO NOT stink,” in all capital letters.
Results of a survey of more than 700 respondents on X (Twitter) by IFLScience show that around 20 percent of respondents claim they can detect an ant’s scent. The remaining 80 percent say they cannot smell ants.
Hear us out: Can anyone here smell ants?
Apparently it's a thing and we're curious to see how common it might be. Please feel free to share your ant-sniffing thoughts.
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) August 2, 2023
Fortunately, some entomologists have studied the scent of ants. A 2015 study investigated the scent of the smelly house ant (Tapinoma sapil), one of the most common ant species in North America. Clint Penick, an ant expert at North Carolina State University, asked hundreds of people to sniff a can of T. Sapsile and fill out a questionnaire about how they thought ants smelled.
The most common response was reported to be moldy cheese. Other commonly reported explanations cited by the study were a chemical-like cleaning spray and rotting coconut.
By investigating the reasons for this interesting observation, Pennick and his colleague Adrian Smith were able to determine that the chemicals responsible were methyl ketones. Smelly house ants and moldy cheese were both found to have this chemical. When coconuts rot, they form a blue mold that also produces methyl ketones.
Other ant species are also known to produce equally pungent odors. When threatened, carpenter ants spray formic acid, a caustic chemical with antimicrobial properties that smells like vinegar. Similarly, citronella ants get their name from the sour citrus scent they produce to repel predators.
Why can’t most people smell ants?
However, the situation is a little more complicated as some people can detect these odors while others do not. Some people put it down to genetics and liken it to the fact that some people lack a certain gene to detect the smell of formic acid, to the way that coriander gives some people the taste of soap. However, there is not much evidence to support this claim. Another explanation could be the ant species living in your area. This difference may also be due to the fact that some ants smell worse or more distinctly than others.
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