If you’ve ever been in close contact with a stink bug and tried to swat or swat it away, chances are you’ve picked up a mysteriously pungent odor. Make no mistake, that smell you give off is nature’s self-defense mechanism bestowed upon you. If any predator tries to harm this species of insect, it will be sprayed with this repulsive odor as a deterrent to keep the predator at bay.
Chances are you’re already familiar with the fact that skunks do more or less the same thing: if they’re startled or attacked, they’ll unleash a foul odor that stains skin and clothing and is downright unbearable for most animals. and humans.
If you’re wondering what stink bugs smell like, then you’re not alone. Everyone who smells the stink bug self-defense scent recognizes it as something familiar. In case you haven’t guessed what it is, it’s none other than cilantro.
Coriander is a type of herb that is commonly used as an ingredient in cooking many dishes. The irony is that while the stench given off by stink bugs is quite putrid, the smell of cilantro is an extremely pleasant and delicious smell (and taste) when consumed alone or cooked with food.
So what is the explanation for how an insect’s odor can bear such a strong resemblance to that of a grass, and why the similar odor is repulsive when it emanates from a stink bug, but when you smell it on food, it can do make the taste buds drool?
The answer is that the chemical composition of the odor given off by this species of bedbug consists of trans-2-decennial Y trans-2-Octane, which coincidentally are used as food additives. Interestingly, these same chemical compounds are also present in cilantro!
More research needs to be done on this matter, but if you love cilantro, then you probably won’t find the odor emanating from stink bugs to be all that offensive to you (although psychologically, it’s just knowledge that the smell is being generated by a creepy looking insect would be a great appetite killer)! And conversely, if you’re not exactly a big fan of cilantro to begin with, you might not react well to that smell.
But what is known for sure is that this odor is used as the stink bug’s innate self-defense mechanism against predators. I guess not many other animals and insects in nature appreciate the smell of fresh cilantro either!
An issue of concern for many is that a stink bug or two here and there giving off this odor may not be much of a problem. You can always use a spray air freshener to mask that smell. But what if you have a large number of stink bugs to deal with and they have all taken up residence inside your home? Your walls, your sheets, clothes, carpet or furniture will end up smelling like coriander and will really stink up the house and your property, or even your body.
That’s why it’s not always in your best interest to go around squashing stink bugs. It is always better to use some other non-violent means to displace or exterminate them. For example, you can find a way to lure them out of your house while they are still alive. Either you can set traps for them where they will be locked inside an enclosure where they will drain, suffocate or starve, or you can dispose of them outside afterwards.
If you were to be blindfolded and presented with a cup containing the crushed remains of a stink bug that stank the cup with its stench, and a second cup containing cilantro, and you smelled both, would you be able to tell which is which? Which is cilantro and which is stink bug?
It’s up to you.