Some of the most common insect pests that infest homes in the northeast also secrete odors that many people find repellent. Most odorous insect house pests in the northeast tend to invade homes during the fall. These insect pests include brown marmorated stink bugs, western conifer seed bugs and Asian lady beetles. Several ant pests also secrete odors, such as citronella ants and the aptly named odorous house ants. In some cases, homes infested with these insect pests can become permeated with their odorous secretions. Of course, these insect pests do not stink up homes just to cause further annoyance to residents. Instead, these insects evolved to produce and emit odorous chemicals for defensive purposes.
In the natural environment, many insects secrete odorous chemicals in order to repel other arthropThe Insect House Pests That Secrete Odors That Can Permeate The Homes That They Infestod predators. Unfortunately, a minority of these insects are categorized as structural pests, and stepping on or crushing these pests will cause their odorous bodily chemicals to leak out of their bodies. This is why it is important to avoid crushing these insect pests when they establish indoor infestations, as most people find these secretions to be of an unpleasant odor, but some odorous insect pests smell worse than others. For example, citronella ants are aptly named for secreting defensive fluids that smells like citronella, which some people may not mind. Odorous house ants secrete fluids that many people report as smelling like coconut, while others describe their smell as being closer to rotten coconut or blue cheese.
Western conifer seed bugs look similar to boxelder bugs due to their brown shell-like exterior and body length, which is around ¾ of an inch. Unlike boxelder bugs, western conifer seed bugs make loud buzzing noises when flying into homes in large numbers during the fall season. These insect pests emit odorous fluids that smell like musky evergreen or turpentine. Brown marmorated stink bugs also invade homes in the northeast during the fall, and they emit odors that smell like coriander. The defensive odor secreted by Asian lady beetles is unique and is reported as being among the most foul smelling of all insect pest odors. Insect defensive odors can help residents determine which species of insect pest is infesting their home, and this is especially true when it comes to ants, as ants can be difficult to identify due to their small size and similar appearance across species.
Have you ever smelled an insect pest presence within your home?