Can you smell ants?

Ants no but Freesias ahhh! best smelling flowers

How do you keep an ant still long enough to smell it?

Yes, ants smell acidic, as they emit formic acid. That is why birds often dust-bathe on ants' nests. The angry ants attack them with acid, which kills or drives off the parasites on birds. The birds must also enjoy how the acid feels as though they were scratching the parasite bites.

I can smell freesias too, plus I have no enthusiasm for household tasks, ever.

Squiffy

How do you keep an ant still long enough to smell it?

Their nests smell of it when the ants have been disturbed.

I’ve never smelt ants, but could always smell freesias - when the ones you can buy did have a scent. Apparently the commercially produced ones often don’t any more.

How did freesias get into this, OP?

I can smell freesias, but not ants and I have no enthusiasm for anything as it has rained solidly from the moment I woke up (about 6am) and it promising to go on raining all day...

Elegran I wasn’t being serious!

Yes, I remember seeing a nature programme where a wood ants nest was disturbed and they said it smelt like salt and vinegar crisps - that’s the acid. I tried it and yes it does. I’d much rather be out trying this sort of thing than doing housework!!

MaizieD
How did freesias get into this, OP?

I once read about a genetic thing which meant some people couldn’t smell freesias, so I wondered if smelling ants might be the same.
Appatently being able to smell asparagus pee is the same, the smell being detectable by some, but not by others. I can’t smell that either.

I wouldn't know about the smell of asparagus pee and I don't eat it. But is can smell blood and freesias.

As for ants, I hadn't really thought about them having a smell but I guess it is part of their defence mechanism.

Yes to asparagus pee !!

I bet dogs can smell them.

My dog hates the smell of ticks. If I take one off him he always wants to look to see what I’ve done and curls his lip and shakes his head when he smell it.

I thought it was that some people's pee smelt of asparagus and others' didn't. I'm confused now!

There is also the thing with coriander - some say it tastes like soap.

I can’t smell anything much but can manage strongly smelling flowers with the sun on them.
I can’t smell bodily pongs like dog poo, cat sick, sweat nor, unfortunately, gas.

I ve never smelt ants even in a nest Freesias yes of course
they re lovely No idea about asparagus pee no one in the family can afford asparagus

I took care of my son's formicarium for a year while he was working away. Although it was supposedly sealed one ant came out every day and did a recce around my desk. All the others stayed inside and eventually there were tiny baby ants. One of the most remarkable things I've done, feeding them and keeping them alive and watching their fascinating lives. No smell from them.

Yes - I can smell formic acid .

The worse thing for me are maggots .

One of my neighbours always has a maggots in her food bin .

I've retched before now .

When I disinfect my bins after emptying I also douse her bin for which she is very grateful .

I say nothing about the maggots, but I found out that she has a very poor sense of smell - unlike me !

It's early in the morning, so it took me a few seconds to work out asparagus pee! Anyway, the penny eventually dropped.
I really admire and respect ants, but cannot smell them. Freesias, yes, if they are the scented ones. The ones without scent are pretty, but disappointing. Same with roses, I prefer a rose with a perfume.

Elegran- i also have no enthusiasm for household tasks ever 😂...but sadly still have to do them.😞

I never knew there were unscented freesias- i thought all flowers were scented..

There was a time when that was the theory.

But it fell apart when they had the pee checked by those who had not peed it.

Good example of a bad science.

I'm like you Watermeadow. I can't smell much at all. I can taste a little bit but go mainly by texture, thanks to chronic sinusitis.
I know if there's a strong smell by the way it makes my nose hurt inside, gives me a headache or, in the case of my cats' pee, makes my eyes water. My children always say I would be good to work in the zoo because I can't smell the bad things.
PS I never knew asparagus could pee.

MaizieD

How did freesias get into this, OP?

I can smell freesias, but not ants and I have no enthusiasm for anything as it has rained solidly from the moment I woke up (about 6am) and it promising to go on raining all day...

Our heavy rain day was yesterday. I cleaned the fridge and binged watched tv.
You'll probably be back to warm.and grey tomorrow MD😂

Freesias delicious
Ants never got close enough to smell them!

Never put my nose near enough to ants to smell them, but recently have found that I can hardly ever smell roses, which is a great shame.
PS What are household tasks?