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Known to be important predators of aphids. Adults are not always predacious and can often be found on flowers feeding on pollen and nectar. The larvae are always predacious and are sometimes referred to as aphid lions.
• Adults are green-bodied with large transparent net-like wings, long, thin antennae, and coppery-colored eyes. Larvae are alligator-like with long, narrow sickle-like jaws. Eggs are laid on stalks to avoid predation and/or cannibalism.
• Native throughout eastern North America thriving in diverse settings including agricultural fields, home gardens, deciduous forests, and open grasslands.
• Larvae are obligate carnivores, acting as fierce generalist predators targeting soft-bodied insects like aphids, thrips, spider mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, and smaller caterpillar larvae. Adults are
predominantly glucophagous and palynorous, feeding on pollen, plant nectar, and insect honeydew. However, adults of specific genera (such as Chrysopa) retain a predatory diet.
• Lacewings are solitary insects. They interact solely during brief mating windows and display intense cannibalistic tendencies if larvae crowd together. They have a vibratory courtship where prior to mating, males and females participate in substrate-borne acoustic duets. They vibrate their abdomens against stems or leaves to send low-frequency songs through the plant tissue. The life cycle of a Lacewing is a complete metamorphosis consisting of 4 distinct phases: Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult
• They act as a vital regulatory force in food webs by keeping herbivore populations in check. They are an essential food source for insectivorous birds, bats, amphibians, and predatory true bugs. They also provide incidental pollination while foraging across flowers for nectar.
• They serve as premium biocontrol agents in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems globally. Farmers and gardeners regularly buy commercial lacewing egg cards to wipe out agricultural pests naturally, lowering dependencies on chemical insecticides.
• Lacewings are considered beneficial and require no management.
• Information sources
o https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/green-lacewing/
o https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/.../benef.../green-lacewing/
o https://extension.sdstate.edu/green-lacewings-beneficial...
• Photo : A green lacewing, Chrysoperla sp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), adult, courtesy of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Field Guide to Common Texas Insects. Photo by Drees.
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