Science Memes

11205 readers

2988 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules

Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
Keep it rooted (on topic).
No spam.
Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.

Research Committee

[email protected]

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

1136

Ant smell (mander.xyz)

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

451 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 11 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 ;)

[–] [email protected] 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…