What is the characteristic clear, sticky, sugar-rich liquid excreted as a metabolic byproduct of aphid feeding?
Answer
Honeydew
Honeydew is the metabolic byproduct resulting from the yellow aphid's diet. Because the phloem sap is high in necessary sugars but comparatively low in essential building blocks like amino acids, aphids must ingest far more fluid than they actually require for growth. They process this excess sugar and water and excrete it as a clear, sticky substance known as honeydew. This excretion coats the leaves and stems below where the aphids are clustered.
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