An unusually large influx of tiny insects called aphids have been sucking on Dallas-area pecan trees this summer.
After they¡¯ve had their fill, they excrete the waste out their back ends and onto cars, driveways and sidewalks. ¡°Texas is covered in a sticky, icky goo,¡± declared a Dallas Morning News headline. Other news outlets offered tips on how to clean up the mess.
It¡¯s not just Texans who should be grossed out. Scientists who study the relationship between insects and plants have long predicted that a warming climate would benefit aphids and other plant-eating pests. The Texas drought, which occurs as the state experiences rising temperatures under the influence of climate change, is just one example. Elsewhere, surging populations of plant-eating insects are disrupting farms and the food supply chain, causing problems far more serious than sticky windshields.
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