Photo by Patrick Coin
Green lacewings are beneficial insects that eat aphids, caterpillars, and other soft bodied pests as larvae. The adults feed on nectar and pollen and the occasional aphid or mite that they come across.
Description of Lacewings
Green lacewings are green, with delicate wings that look like lace because of the almost invisible membrane crossed by veins. They have prominent golden eyes. Lacewings can grow to about 3/4 inch long. The larvae are long and brown and often covered with the carcasses of the aphids and other animals they have eaten as camouflage against birds. They can reach a length of 1/2 inch. The white eggs are laid on a stalk about 1/2 inch tall to help reduce canabalism in the larvae.
Lifecycle of Lacewings
Adult lacewings lay 100-300 eggs before they die. These eggs hatch and go through three instars, or molts. They then pupate. The whole lifecydle only takes 4-6 weeks when the termperature is warm. In places without cold winters, the lifecycle goes on all year. When it is cold, the pupa is the stage that overwinters.
Attracting Lacewings
The best way to ensure a ready supply is by planting things that lacewings like to eat and shelter on, such as calliopsis (Coreopsis), cosmos (Cosmos), sunflowers (Helianthus) and dandelion (Taraxacum) – and Apiaceae such as dill (Anethum) or angelica (Angelica). Planting these flowers in amongst your vegetables will bring lacewings naturally to your garden.
Buying Lacewings
You can buy lacewing eggs from many garden supply stores, However, unless there continues to be prey for the larvae to eat, they will not stick around. You can intersperse the flowers mentioned above with your garden and keep them around longer. Remeber, though, that lacewings are short lived insects. Unless they have feed, you will quickly lose them without seeing any eggs on your plants.
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