Some roaches smell very good.

Allpet Roaches

Allpet Roaches

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Many cockroach species cultures have no smell except if there's a dead specimen or rotting food but there are various species whose colonies give off distinctive odors. Certainly anyone can find these odors attractive but generally more similar to an acquired taste like bleu cheese. However, some of the Gyna emit distinctively attractive, sweet odors, G. capucina has a stong honey odor while G. bisannulata emits a less attractive honey smell. Anyone notice these in their colonies?

 
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Never noticed it.

But the first time I pestered my skunk roaches...

Man! I loved it! XD

It was one of the sweetest scents I've ever smelled; and it lingered in my nose for a bit, too!

 
I'm referring to distinctive colony odors rather than defensive odors. These may in fact be pheromone odors as I don't recall if colonies without adults have the same odor.

 
I'm so glad you said this. I thought I was weird. Well, more weird than I already thought I was for wanting to be surrounded by a bunch of roaches.

I love the smell of my roaches. The hissers are a bit stinky, but I love the lateralis smell. The lobsters are kind of sweetish. The E. posticus are sort of skunky, but in a good way, strangely. None of my Blaberus have any smell at all. Whenever I crack open a bin and get that first lung full it just males me feel comfortable and relaxed. I wonder if that's what drugs do to people. I'm most certainly addicted and can't wait to get my roach fix every day.

I'm glad its not just me.

 
My G. lurida (does your colony have an odor like G. capucina?) don’t really have a smell to them at the present but I have about 100-150 nymphs and yet <5 adults in there. It has a faint earthy smell with a tinge of sweetness to it but I think that is probably from the inner bark from a cottonwood I made into substrate; it tends to have a sweet smell to it (since there are sugars in the tissue it shouldn’t be too surprising). I remember a professor telling me about how certain mantispids have pheromones that smell like caramel, maybe that’s what is going on. I’ll have to see if bouquet changes as the subadults start up into adulthood.

 
I definitely agree that different roach colonies have very unique odors that develop over time. I'm especially keen on the o. deusta's mildly cinnamon-like smell, it's almost got a hint of pine cones as well. It would be awesome to compile a list of all the different roaches with distinctive colony smells, as well as defensive smells, too.

 
Just opened my Pseudomops container today... Smells like a mix of honey, sugar, and vinegar. o_O

 
My dubias do smell, I thoought it was my imagiantion...no spell check huh? and anyone would think we were crazy, your roach smell fix :lol:

 
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