Okra - new plants have clear balls on leaves - normal or eggs?

Question

I started my okra indoors.  The plants are ready to put outside, but I noticed there are clear balls on the leaves.  When I rub them off and pop them they appear to contain sticky material.  Is this normal for Okra or are my plants infested with something that has laid eggs all over them.

Answer 1

You have the eggs of aphids, spray the underside of the okra leaves with Pam (olive oil) it will not hurt your plant, the will not allow the eggs to breathe thereby killing them.  After spraying you can wipe off the oil in about 1/2 hour and the eggs will come off easily too. -Birdy

Answer 2

The only other answer from, sadly, ages ago is mistaken. Those are not aphid eggs. They're perfectly normal and are actually the sign of a healthy plant. Those little beads are supposed to attract beneficial bacteria. 

Answer 3

I do not think these are normal or beneficial. Every time these show up on my Okra, it is when the plants are suffering . It's as if they are been sucked on as the leaves start to sag and look floppy. Whenever I have sprayed with neem oil and wiped the egg like substance of the back of the plant, the plants recover. Before I knew what to do, my plants would just shrivel and die. They seem particularly susceptible to this. Perhaps the eggs/beads only show up when the plant is suffering,  but then why would they improve with neem application?