Lacewing Use Guide

Listing Results Lacewing Use Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can lacewings be used to control insects?

  Using Lacewings for insect control is a common practice in home gardens and greenhouses. They often appear on their own after the spring breeding season, when green Lacewings scatter far and wide to lay their eggs.

• What do lacewings eat?

  Green Lacewings also frequently feed on insect eggs, plant nectars, pollen, and honeydew. Larval Lacewings are insatiable predators– eating over 200 prey insects each week! Using Lacewings for insect control is a common practice in home gardens and greenhouses.

• Are green lacewings good for anything?

  Green Lacewings are an often under-appreciated group of beneficial insects. As with lady beetles, these natural enemies are important predators of many types of soft bodied insects and insect eggs. These insects are common in the spring summer and fall and their contribution to insect control is immense. Figure 1.

• What is the life cycle of a Lacewing?

  Life cycle and ecology Both adults and larvae of brown Lacewings are predaceous, but only the larvae of green Lacewings are predators (the adults feed on nectar and pollen). Lacewings are most active in warm climates. Cooler temperatures may trigger diapause (hibernation).

• How do you attract lacewings to your garden?

  Lacewings can be encouraged to breed in your garden by providing a wide range of nectar-rich plants. They also need safe havens to hibernate overwinter, such as log piles and dense hedges. Tolerate small aphid outbreaks in spring to help support a thriving summer population of Lacewings.

• What do lacewing larvae eat?

  Lacewing larvae are voracious predators of small pests such as aphids, whitefly, caterpillars and leaf-beetle larvae. They will colonise almost any plant where they have a plentiful food supply, and can effectively keep troublesome plant pests under control. Adult Lacewings feed on small invertebrates, but also feed on nectar.

• What does a Lacewing plant look like?

  Lacewings are usually green or brown in colour, and can be easily recognized by their long, transparent, lace-like wings. Lacewing adults are usually nocturnal, and will lay eggs at night in groups attached to the underside of leaves by long stalks around 1cm in length.

• How do you get rid of lacewings in a hedge?

  They also need safe havens to hibernate overwinter, such as log piles and dense hedges. Tolerate small aphid outbreaks in spring to help support a thriving summer population of Lacewings. Do not use insecticidal soaps or other natural pesticides on plants where Lacewing eggs are present.