Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Gardeners may not be as familiar with the Brown Lacewing as they are the Green Lacewing (which is a much prettier color).  As it happens, the Brown Lacewing is right up at the top of the list of effective garden predators.  Both the adult and larva has a voracious appetite for aphids, mites, thrips, mealy bug and other soft bodied insects.  They are most active after dusk, hiding themselves in plant vegetation during the daylight hours – so it is no wonder we don’t see them around.

With a long life span and great reproductive capability they are considered to have excellent potential for biological pest control.  Occurring naturally in arboreal forests and orchards, they have a capacity to tolerate a wide range of temperatures – making them a useful biological agent for pest control in temperate as well as tropical climates and greenhouses.

It goes without saying that their drab colour helps to provide camouflage – but did you know that sometimes the larva will also carry debris around on their backs to disguise themselves?  The larva look like tiny alligators, and tend to swing their heads slightly from side to side when they are walking – so you see – they know how to strut their stuff!  (Seriously – they are just on the lookout for food).   Aren’t you glad they’re on our side? 

Hemerobius spp. - Brown Lacewing Adult

This link has some great photos of the Brown Lacewing in all of its life stages.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/brown_lacewing.html

And guess what!  Biofloris carries these predators:

http://www.biofloris.com/beneficial-insects/brown-lacewing-adults-general-predator.html