Do Bed Bugs Have an Odor When You Kill Them?
WouterYou might be wondering if you should smell bed bugs when you kill them. The answer is “yes.” Bed bugs have a distinct smell that can help you distinguish them from other types of home infestation. This can help you target treatments and pinpoint the area where the bugs are living.
When killed, bed bugs have an odor that is difficult to ignore. The smell is due to the carbon dioxide that they exhale. They can detect 5% of the carbon dioxide in the breath of humans. If they can smell your breath, they will quickly start to scurry around your bed looking for the carbon dioxide source.
To determine whether bed bugs have an odor, you must first understand what pheromones are. Bed bugs use these to communicate and warn each other. They release alarm pheromones when they are threatened. When you kill a bed bug, you kill the insects, crushing their scent glands, which release the alarm pheromones. The odor is not as strong as you might think. It’s more of a musty smell, reminiscent of coriander or berries.
Some people say that bed bugs have an odor that is similar to the smell of coriander or wet socks. However, the smell is rarely noticeable unless there is a large infestation and you are close to the bugs.
