sticky substance on leaves

Hi all, I really need your help.
I noticed some yellow leaves on my Vigna Caracalla this morning and when I reached up to pull them off they were sticky on the back. I started examining the plant and there were ALOT of leaves like that. I immediately went into aphid/mite/whitefly mode and thoroughly checked all the sticky leaves with my magnifying glass under strong light. That has always worked for me, but there are no eggs, insects or webs on these and that is a first. With my magnifying glass and strong light I have always been able to spot the culprits! I went ahead and sprayed it with summer oil and added the rose systemic I use, but I sure would like to know what it could be!
In this picture you can see the light reflecting off the sticky substance and the color the leaves are turning. Does anyone recognize this?

Is the sticky stuff a trail perhaps left by slugs and snails?

X

could it be something dripping from an overhead plant or tree?

I think trackin is on the right track. Look at overhead plants, or even leaves - on the same plant - above the leaves that are sticky. That's where you'll find the critters.

No, there is nothing over them and only the undersides (sorry, "back" was vague) are sticky. And it is really sticky, not snail/tslug track-like, more syrup-like. I have worked my way through the whole plant, it is not that big cuz it is just starting to releaf from winter, so it was not hard to really go over the whole thing. It is bugless. It makes no sense. And I did not find a single leaf with sticky on the front either, so it is some sort of sucking parasite. It just seems odd to me that there would not still be some sign of them, you know? I sure would like to know what it was.

PUDG,
You noticing this first thing in the AM?? If so, and if you can, try sneaking out late at night or very early in the AM and take a peek, see if you can catch them in the act??

Best;
bluelytes

Oh, good thinking. I don't know why I did not think of that. I am out there before dawn to start the watering, but seems like I am one-track and don't think of it. I will also go out tonight before I go to bed and see if I can spot anything. Thanks.

I thought the sticky stuff is excrement from aphids...

I have alot of aphid here, we have LOTS of ants and they farm them. So that is usually my first thought with anything sticky, or whitefly, but I can usually see traces of them. Either eggs or actual insects. What is stumping me is that there are neither eggs or aphid/whitefly in ANY of the sticky leaves and that is just not logical to me, there should be different stages occurring on the plant, and the other strange thing is this just started leafing out, so whatever it is, should not have had time to move in, do this much damage and then move on, you know?

http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2005/011505.html

This is the only thing I can think of. I've seen the sticky leaves too, but wasn't a gardener at the time.

BILLY,
By George, I think you've solved the problem!! Good job.

Best,
bluelytes

Well I am having the same problem with my little million bells. Not all, just some. And I don't think its scale. There is no sign of ANYTHING at all on the plant, no bumps or anything. The leaves are so sticky if you pinch the ends they stick together and your fingers stay very sticky. IIt does not drip, just coats the leaves. And I have tried systemic sprays and fungicides. The leaves begin to get a dull color then they wilt and dry up. I really wish I knew what this was. Someone out there must know what this is and how to get rid of it.
Rebecca

REBE,
Have you tried sevin or diazanon spray?? Very good STUFF, if what BILLY's link is accurate

The systemic I use has taken care of all bugs I have gotten, I am not sure this is a bug thing. I am thinking a fungus of some kind, maybe resistant to sprays. There is just no evidence of a critter at all.
Rebecca

Interesting link Billy, thanks. I saved it to my favorites after I spent quite a while reading through the archives. Not my area but our weather is close enough that it will still be helpful info for me. :~)
I don't have any mealy bugs or scale, have had those in the past and know what they look like. Rebecca, I remember you telling me about your sticky million bells now that you mention it, I never made the connection. I went out a while ago with my husbands superduper bazillion candlepower flashlight, and could not see a darn thing on the plant. And if there WAS anything on there, they are fried now. LOL That light is strong!
Seriously, there is just nothing on them. If it was an insect, they have moved on. I hose-sprayed the backside of the leaves this morning when I watered, really flushed them off well, so now I will just wait and see if they get sticky again. Thanks everyone, I guess this is just a mystery that will have to remain unsolved for now. :~(
But I really appreciate everyones help. I will post if anything changes.
Donna

donna, just a thought. try ivory liquid, a small squirt, in a water bottle and this will clean the sticky stuff off better than plain water. then wait and see if it comes back.

I felt the backs this morning and all clear. Whew. I was half afraid I would go out there this morning and find the thing covered in honeydew again. LOL
Thanks for the soapy water suggestion, I usually do use the soapy water mixture on things, it works so well as a bug/insect killer (even ants), but I never thought of it for the sticky removal.

If its a fungus - you may want to try spritzing with a diluted milk solution.

yes to ants. ivory kills them dead!
yes to milk too. great for fungus.

oh, never heard of the milk! Hey, if it works on fungus will it kill the little mushrooms I have popping up in the shady spots of the lawn?

Milk works on aphids too. Just mix up powdered milk, (cheaper) and put it in a squirt bottle. Glues them down!

The mushrooms are simply the fruiting structure of a fungus. The fungus would still be there in the ground. Getting rid of the mushroom is like deadheading a flowering plant...the spores (or seeds) will not be allowed to germinate, because the structure that contains them has been removed. But the fungus (or plant) remains via the mycelial strands (or roots), and in due time will once again send up its mushroom (flower).