During the fall, insect pests like brown marmorated stink bugs, Asian lady beetles, and many other species swarm into homes in order to overwinter within warm conditions. Unfortunately, many fall pests emit odors that are widely considered to be unpleasant, which should not come as a shock in the case of the brown marmorated stink bug pest. These foul odors emanate from chemicals that certain insect species produce in order to repel predators, and some species produce odorous defensive secretions that can irritate human skin. Simply disturbing odorous insect pests will prompt the release of their defensive secretions, and many residents have learned from experience that crushing these pests will produce a distinct smell. Since most odorous insects invade homes in large numbers where they gravitate into wall voids and other inaccessible areas, it should not be surprising to learn that odors sometimes permeate infested homes.
Some of the most common odorous insect pests that are known for invading homes in upstate New York include stink bugs, odorous house ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, several beetle species, and large yellow ants that emit defensive chemicals people describe as smelling like citronella. Bed bugs emit alarm pheromones when they become disturbed and/or threatened, and those who have lived in heavily infested homes have described this smell as being unpleasant. Others claim that bed bugs produce a somewhat pleasant smell that is reminiscent of coriander, but only when alarm pheromones are not heavily concentrated within a home. Musty indoor odors sometimes indicate a cockroach infestation, especially in cases when cockroaches are allowed to proliferate within a home. Experienced individuals all seem to agree that roach odors are unpleasant and intolerable in heavily infested homes, and the musty smell that results from their indoor presence tends to linger if roach corpses are not removed from homes.
Have you ever sensed a mysterious coriander-like odor within your home? If so, did the smell originate from an indoor bed bug presence?
