Even though aphids may look very different from one another, all aphids do share one feature: cornicles, which are small tubes that extend from the end of the abdomen. When aphids are disturbed, they secrete fluid from the cornicles. This fluid hardens into what is called cornicle wax. This substance is distasteful to many of an aphid’s predators, so it serves a protective function.

Besides cornicle wax, aphids also secrete another fluid called honeydew. This fluid is actually the aphid’s waste product. Since aphids typically feed on plant sap, which contains sugar, their waste products are sweet.

Many insects snack on honeydew. In fact, some ants will act as shepherds for a group of aphids. The ants will tend the “flock,” protecting the aphids from predators, while gathering the honeydew droplets the aphids produce.

To learn about the suborder Sternorrhyncha, of which aphids are a part, click here.

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