Pests are leaving behind sticky honeydew on vehicles. Here’s what you can do about it

If you’ve noticed a sticky residue left behind on your vehicle, you aren’t alone.

The sappy droplings are caused by small insects called aphids and often present a seasonal issue in many parts of the country.

Here’s what to know about the residue — called honeydew — and what you can do about it.

What is honeydew?

More than just a fruit, honeydew can also refer to excrement from aphids. To put it more bluntly, it’s their poop.

“Honeydew is a sugar-laden fluid excreted by certain plant-sucking insects,” Michigan State University said. “When these populations build up, sticky honeydew may drip on nearly everything outdoors.”

The honeydew builds at the base of the tree, causing “a black, sooty mold to grow,” Ehrlich Pest Control said. It can then drop to the ground below, often on vehicles or gardens.

“Out in the yard, if you feel drops of ‘rain’ when there’s not a cloud around, it may actually be the honeydew leaking down from a tree above,” House Digest said.

What insects drop honeydew?

The spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest that has been spotted in 14 states in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest, is known to leave behind honeydew. The insect has been spreading throughout the regions in recent weeks and months.

First detected in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014, the spotted lanternfly, which is native to China, can be a threat to many fruit crops and trees, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But the honeydew has also been spotted in other areas, including Texas, where the lanternfly is not known to have traveled. Other aphids — soft-bodied insects that feed on plant sap — also drop the sticky excrement.

“There’s a whole bunch of different hoppers like leaf hoppers, treehoppers, plant hoppers, all of those are phloem-feeding insects and are capable of producing honeydew,” Wizzie Brown with Texas A&M University told KXAN.

How can you prevent honeydew from dropping?

The easiest way to ensure the excrement does not drop on your vehicle is to use a hose to wash off trees near where you park your vehicle, KXAN reported. This can melt the sugar-laden fluid.

Using an insecticide spray on the trees can also be a way to prevent the sticky mess, according to KTAB. But that should only be used as a last resort, as the spray can also kill natural predators of the insect, Gardening Know How said.

You can also avoid parking near trees if you notice the issue becoming a problem.

How can you get honeydew off vehicles?

There’s a secret car wash owners may not want you to know — you can get the honeydew off yourself.

Leaving the residue on your vehicle can damage the paint and reduce visibility, so it’s important to remove it as quickly as possible, according to Vehicle Scene. Alcohol-based remedies, such as hand sanitizer, nail polish remover and alcohol wipes, can be applied to the vehicle’s surface to help remove the sticky mess, the publication said.

Car wash owner Doyle Zimbelman said it’s best to pre-soak your vehicle and spray it off before using brushes on it.

“You want to loosen up the grime so you’re not scrubbing it into your car,” Zimbelman told the Tahlequah Daily Press.

You can, of course, go to a car wash to take care of the issue. The assistant manager of a Texas car wash said he has been seeing around 300 more cars coming in each da recently as honeydew has become an issue in Texas, KTAB reported.

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