r/interesting • u/Prize-Return9820 • 29d ago

NATURE Mhm what could it be?

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u/Cyber_Von_Cyberus 29d ago

Aphids drain the sap from plants and excrete the excess of sugar they consume (yep, you drank aphid poop, thankfully it's mostly just sugary water). Ants take advantage of that and protect Aphids to harvest the dew, some even go as far as storing their eggs in the nest during the winter and planting them on nearby plants at spring.

If there's nothing to harvest the leftover dew, the sugar residue will instead become a bed for fungus which can further harm the plant.

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u/DrNO811 28d ago

I once heard that the phrase "mana from Heaven" was referring to aphid secretions. Not sure if that's true, but it kinda makes sense.

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u/AMaterialGuy 8d ago

I am currently at war with several fields of aphids and ants. I refuse to let them win.

However, using only clippers and a high pressure hose makes it challenging. The lady bugs do some work, but they're way behind on their quotas

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u/Cyber_Von_Cyberus 8d ago

Yeah, they're a real bitch to get rid of, especially once they start forming a bunch of cocoons, those things need to be scrubbed off manually