honeydew
Quick Summary
Honeydew is a sweet, sticky substance secreted by certain insects, primarily aphids and scale insects. These insects feed on plant sap, which is rich in water and sugars. To extract enough nutrients, they must ingest large quantities of sap. Their digestive system concentrates the nutrients, and the excess water, along with some sugar and waste materials, is excreted from the rectum.12
This sugary excretion, honeydew, serves as a food source for other insects, such as ants, which are attracted to its sweetness. Ants often protect and care for the aphids that produce honeydew, a relationship where ants "milk" the aphids for their sweet secretion. In some cases, specialized ants, known as honey ants, store honeydew in the abdomens of certain worker ants called repletes, which can then regurgitate it to feed the colony. Honeydew can also support the growth of a dark fungus called sooty mold on plants.2345
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antFood…from which the ants collect honeydew (a by-product of digestion secreted by certain aphids). The honey ants (Myrmecocystus, Camponotus, and others) store honeydew in the distended abdomens of specialized workers. Some genera (Leptothorax) eat the honeydew that has fallen onto the surface of a leaf. The so-called Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex…
Read More…from which the ants collect honeydew (a by-product of digestion secreted by certain aphids). The honey ants (Myrmecocystus, Camponotus, and others) store honeydew in the distended abdomens of specialized workers. Some genera (Leptothorax) eat the honeydew that has fallen onto the surface of a leaf. The so-called Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex…
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honey ant…unique way of storing the honeydew, a by-product of digestion that is gathered mainly from the secretions of aphids and scale insects. A worker ant, fed by the others, is called a replete. The honeydew is stored in the replete’s abdomen, which can become distended to many times its normal…
Read More…unique way of storing the honeydew, a by-product of digestion that is gathered mainly from the secretions of aphids and scale insects. A worker ant, fed by the others, is called a replete. The honeydew is stored in the replete’s abdomen, which can become distended to many times its normal…
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beekeepingHoneybeesSometimes they collect honeydew, an exudate from certain plant-sucking insects, and store it as honey. The primary carbohydrate diet of bees is honey. They also collect pollen, the dustlike male element, from the anthers of flowers. Pollen provides the essential proteins necessary for the rearing of young bees.…
Read MoreSometimes they collect honeydew, an exudate from certain plant-sucking insects, and store it as honey. The primary carbohydrate diet of bees is honey. They also collect pollen, the dustlike male element, from the anthers of flowers. Pollen provides the essential proteins necessary for the rearing of young bees.…
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weaver antNatural history…insect prey, weaver ants eat honeydew, a sweet liquid waste excreted by some sap-sucking insects, such as mealybugs, aphids, and scale. To maintain a ready supply of honeydew, weaver ants act as ranchers of small herds of these insects, guarding them against predators such as ladybugs and spiders.
Read More…insect prey, weaver ants eat honeydew, a sweet liquid waste excreted by some sap-sucking insects, such as mealybugs, aphids, and scale. To maintain a ready supply of honeydew, weaver ants act as ranchers of small herds of these insects, guarding them against predators such as ladybugs and spiders.
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aphidHoneydew productionAnts may guard and care for aphids in return for the honeydew (a sweet excretory product) they produce. Ants protect aphids from weather and natural enemies and transfer them from wilted to healthy plants. In this way the ants ensure their source of…
Read MoreAnts may guard and care for aphids in return for the honeydew (a sweet excretory product) they produce. Ants protect aphids from weather and natural enemies and transfer them from wilted to healthy plants. In this way the ants ensure their source of…
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blue butterflySome species secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. The ants stroke, or “milk,” the larva with their legs to stimulate honeydew secretion. The large blue (Maculinea arion, or Phengaris arion) spends its larval and pupal stages in an ant nest, emerging in the spring…
Read MoreSome species secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. The ants stroke, or “milk,” the larva with their legs to stimulate honeydew secretion. The large blue (Maculinea arion, or Phengaris arion) spends its larval and pupal stages in an ant nest, emerging in the spring…
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hairstreakSome secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. The ants stroke, or “milk,” the larva with their legs to stimulate honeydew secretion.
Read MoreSome secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. The ants stroke, or “milk,” the larva with their legs to stimulate honeydew secretion.
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homopteranImportance…as sweet droplets known as honeydew. If the insect is feeding on apple foliage and honeydew falls on apples, a sooty fungus (sooty mold) grows in each droplet. The apples become black spotted and are no longer marketable. Many other homopterans also produce honeydew, with sooty mold growing on whatever…
Read More…as sweet droplets known as honeydew. If the insect is feeding on apple foliage and honeydew falls on apples, a sooty fungus (sooty mold) grows in each droplet. The apples become black spotted and are no longer marketable. Many other homopterans also produce honeydew, with sooty mold growing on whatever…
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Plant sap contains a large quantity of water, and in order to extract sufficient nutrients to survive, a large quantity of sap must be ingested. The alimentary tract has a modification referred to as the filter chamber that allows nutrients to be concentrated in…
Read MorePlant sap contains a large quantity of water, and in order to extract sufficient nutrients to survive, a large quantity of sap must be ingested. The alimentary tract has a modification referred to as the filter chamber that allows nutrients to be concentrated in…
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HymenopteraGeneral features…aphids and scales that provide honeydew or other sweet fluids. Ants that obtain sweet fluids from the caterpillars of certain species of blue butterflies (Lycaenidae) reciprocate by allowing the caterpillars to devour ant larvae. The honey ant (Myrmecocystus in the United States, Plagiolepis in Africa) has in the nest a…
Read More…aphids and scales that provide honeydew or other sweet fluids. Ants that obtain sweet fluids from the caterpillars of certain species of blue butterflies (Lycaenidae) reciprocate by allowing the caterpillars to devour ant larvae. The honey ant (Myrmecocystus in the United States, Plagiolepis in Africa) has in the nest a…
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spotted lanternflyLife cycle…feed, the spotted lanternflies excrete honeydew, a sweet, sticky fluid, which attracts insects such as bees, wasps, and ants. The fluid also promotes the growth of sooty mold, a plant disease that can form densely on the leaves and block sunlight, reducing the rate of photosynthesis. Eventually, this can cause…
Read More…feed, the spotted lanternflies excrete honeydew, a sweet, sticky fluid, which attracts insects such as bees, wasps, and ants. The fluid also promotes the growth of sooty mold, a plant disease that can form densely on the leaves and block sunlight, reducing the rate of photosynthesis. Eventually, this can cause…
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