Lacewings

Lacewings are common insects in British gardens of the order Neuroptera (Nerve Wings) and are easy to recognise by their transparent lace-like wings, which are nearly twice as long as the abdomen. They are a very welcome addition to the garden as Lacewing larvae are voracious consumers of aphids, along with insect eggs, mites, leafhoppers, beetles, scale insects and caterpillars.  The adults continue to eat aphids but also feed on nectar/honeydew and pollen.

There are several British Lacewing species which are mainly divided into the colours : Green or Brown :

Lacewing Types

Green (Chrysoperla carnea)

The green lacewing is the largest and most conspicuous (20-48mm wing-span) , with a slender green body, two pairs of lacy wings, large golden eyes and long antennae. Of the two types, the green lacewing is the only one to survive the winter in the adult form.  It is commonly seen in tall grasses, herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees.

Brown (Hemerobiidae)

The brown lacewing is less common and smaller (15-20mm wing-span). Typically, brown lacewings become active earlier in the season than green lacewings. They tend to prefer arboreal habitats such as coniferous and deciduous forests, plantations, or orchards.

Life Cycle

There are 4 stages in the life cycle of a Lacewing :

EGG – A female lacewing lays about 300 eggs in late spring/early summer.  They are white cigar shapes and are attached to leaves by a long filament at one end.

LARVA – The Larva vary in length for each species:  Brown 7-9mm and Green 7-13mm.  The colours vary and can be grey, yellow, red, brown or purplish. They are similar to ladybird larvae but more delicate and bristly and have distinctive curved mouthparts.

PUPAE – After a few weeks they pupate in a round silken cocoon attached to the underside of a leaf.  A lacewing only does one poo in its entire life, the larvae and adults do not have 'bottoms' so the poo is left behind in the pupal skin when the adult hatches out.  The poos are so large and distinctive they can be used to identify the species! 

ADULT – Adult lacewings generally live 1-3 months and are on the wing by mid summer.  They immediately lay eggs close to a future source of prey so that a second life cycle is completed by autumn.  As the Adult Lacewing is susceptible to predators they become nocturnal and are attracted by house lights.

Benefits

Lacewings are voracious creatures who just love eating greenfly and other soft bodied insects. If you can encourage them to stay in your garden they will breed and provide you with natural pest control for years to come.

Avoiding Dangers
 

Lacewings are a great asset to the general environment and will not harm children, pets or wildlife.

Encouraging Lacewings

Avoid Spraying

Don't panic and spray as soon as you see greenfly. Give natural predators, including lacewings, a chance. Be patient! Lacewings and other predators will only settle in if there is a plentiful supply of food i.e. greenfly.  Even approved organic sprays can harm beneficial insects. If you get desperate use soft soap or insecticidal soap to spot spray pest colonies. Try to avoid directly spraying lacewings or their larvae, removing them first whenever possible.

Nesting Material

Lacewings will appreciate an untidy garden! with leaf debris and piles of logs/twigs in various spots. Crevices left in wood by rotting and beetle activity are ideal for nesting.
 
You can also encourage them to take up long-term residence using Lacewing Chambers or Bug Boxes.

Hibernation

Lacewings will start to look for suitable hibernation spots in autumn, some lacewings come indoors or seek shelter in outhouses and garden sheds but if you are using Lacewing Chambers or bug boxes these should be in place by August. The height of the Lacewing box is not critical but ideally is should be placed 2’6”-5’ in a sunny east or south facing spot, avoiding draughty situations.

Try not to disturb an insect home during winter. Waking from hibernation uses up a lot of energy reserves and the insect may not make it through to spring.