digitS'
Garden Master
Curly_kate's question about trees seen on her travels got me thinking about aphids.
The maples around here, especially, are glistening messes of honeydew! Whatever is below them - grass, pavement, cars
- are part of the mess. Above, the aphids cover the undersides of the leaves .
So, what is this "honeydew" that gets showered down on the lower leaves and everything else?
I knew it was from aphids but what is it? I was afraid that it was poop or something like urine. Well, not really - if one can believe Wikipedia: aphids (click) &honeydew (click).
If I got it right, and there's a little too much about the aphid's digestive practices than I care to get into, here is my best shot at it in layman's language:
The aphid latches onto the leaf a little bit like a piglet latches onto the sow - but, not quite. The leaf - maple, locust, cabbage, your prize Russell lupines - isn't put together to provide sustenance for the dang aphids! They are dang blood suckers, or photosynthate suckers!
This liquid in the plant is under pressure. The aphid has gotten into it and has no intention of letting go. I suppose that if there's plenty of water around the roots and a good warm day with plenty of photosynthate movement in the plant - the dang aphid might just EXPLODE from the pressure!
Well, unfortunately, the aphid doesn't do that. Some of that fluid just moves right thru the aphid's body and is excreted thru pores! The aphid cannot really make use of it all so much of it passes right thru the little sucker's body, drifts down and covers your car when you park it under the tree.
So, under pressure the aphid sweats. Well anyway, that's the way I'm going to think of honeydew -- aphid sweat.
Steve
The maples around here, especially, are glistening messes of honeydew! Whatever is below them - grass, pavement, cars
- are part of the mess. Above, the aphids cover the undersides of the leaves .So, what is this "honeydew" that gets showered down on the lower leaves and everything else?
I knew it was from aphids but what is it? I was afraid that it was poop or something like urine. Well, not really - if one can believe Wikipedia: aphids (click) &honeydew (click).
If I got it right, and there's a little too much about the aphid's digestive practices than I care to get into, here is my best shot at it in layman's language:
The aphid latches onto the leaf a little bit like a piglet latches onto the sow - but, not quite. The leaf - maple, locust, cabbage, your prize Russell lupines - isn't put together to provide sustenance for the dang aphids! They are dang blood suckers, or photosynthate suckers!
This liquid in the plant is under pressure. The aphid has gotten into it and has no intention of letting go. I suppose that if there's plenty of water around the roots and a good warm day with plenty of photosynthate movement in the plant - the dang aphid might just EXPLODE from the pressure!
Well, unfortunately, the aphid doesn't do that. Some of that fluid just moves right thru the aphid's body and is excreted thru pores! The aphid cannot really make use of it all so much of it passes right thru the little sucker's body, drifts down and covers your car when you park it under the tree
.So, under pressure the aphid sweats. Well anyway, that's the way I'm going to think of honeydew -- aphid sweat.
Steve
