Scouting Party
Posted by Helen Dooley on December 15, 2003
Q: Why is it that some people can smell dead ants, and some people can't?
A: I'm a bit unsure of your question. I'm not sure if you're referring to the smell of dead, decomposing ants or an ant that has just be killed. I assume you mean the latter.
Ants have a substance they produce called formic acid which is unpleasant to most animals. This acid provides safety from many predators since it is disagreeable when eaten although flickers are an exception and are especially fond of ants. If you kill an ant, especially if you crush it, the smell of the formic acid is quite apparent. I never knew that some people were unable to smell this substance but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that for some people, they simply don't have the physical ability to pick it up. Maybe it's a little like being color blind but in reference to smell not color
John Wiessinger ( December 15, 2003)