Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Aphid defense



The photo shows the abdominal tubes called cornicles which exude a defensive liquid called cornicle wax. It is the orange stuff you can see in the photo. I'm not sure how it works but it is quick-hardening like super glue. Yuck.

ABC Wednesday

4 comments:

  1. Never underestimate a plant:-)
    I loved your leaf poem on the previous post. The joy of a breezy day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't know much about aphids, but I'm guessing the wax tastes bad, or smells bad, to a predator? Or maybe it's even toxic?

    Great picture! I love insect macros!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Most interesting information. My roses have been aphid free thus far - let's hope it stays that way. Love the macro.

    ReplyDelete

I'm delighted you've stopped by to visit and leave your comment or question. I will try to reply soon, so stop back by anytime. I would love to share thoughts with you. See ya online, Squirrel