Identification of specific sugars and other components found on raw cottons related to stickiness has become increasingly important in recent years. This is mainly because of the spread of insect contamination into more cotton growing areas, including the Western United States. Cotton yields and quality are adversely affected and the sticky cottons cause problems in ginning and textile processing. Insect honeydew sugars are more complex than plant sugars and are generally randomly deposited on the lint in heavy specks. Insect honeydew is uniquely identified by the presence of the sucrose isomer trehalulose and the trisaccharide melezitose. Whitefly honeydew contains more trehalulose than melezitose; whereas, aphid honeydew also contains trehalulose and melezitose, but in different proportions. Recent work using anion high performance liquid chromatography has made it possible to separate, characterize, and quantify these sugars in cotton. Identifying specific insect contaminants is important to develop test methods and intervention treatments to alleviate cotton stickiness.