How Good is a Cockroach's Sense of Smell?

Cockroaches use their incredible sense of smell to find food and shelter. They track these scents using chemoreceptors on their antennae. These specialized sense organs react to odors and store them in a limited memory. This sensitivity allows cockroaches to avoid smells that are strong or unpleasant.

Roaches emit odors both while they are alive and when they die. Their odor serves as a warning to other roaches, but also as a way to detect danger. As they decompose, roaches give off a rotting smell. This stench can be detected by a single dead roach, or it can be detected from the smell of an entire colony.

Cockroaches are known to travel long distances and are highly nocturnal, which means that they can enter a home through a tiny hole in the walls. They can also enter through holes in doors and windows. Cockroaches are also attracted to rotting food because it has a strong smell.

One way to find out if a cockroach smells your clothes is to wash them. Then, the smell is likely to go away. Wash them in hot water and detergent for three days. Then, dry them in direct sunlight for two hours. The sunlight helps eliminate the smell.