Brown Lacewings – Hemerobiidae

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Brown Lacewings

 

Family: Hemerobiidae

Common Name: Brown Lacewings

Appearance: Brown lacewings are 5-10 mm long insects having a yellow, brown, or greyish brown body. They have 2 pairs of large thin net-like membranous wings that cover the abdomen like a roof. Wings are also light brownish in color. They have long thick brown antennae and well-developed chewing mouthparts.

Host Plants or Food: Whiteflies, Psyllids, Caterpillars, Lace bugs, Aphids, Mites, Mealybugs, Leafhoppers, Scales, Thrips.

Territory: 58 species of brown lacewings are found in Northern America, specifically in Northern Florida and California (5 genera and 31 species are found in California).

Mode of Damage: Beneficial Garden Insect

Habits and Life History:

  • Brown lacewings mostly live in crop fields, gardens, shrubs, tree crops, landscape, coastal areas in California, and natural places.
  • They are mostly seen when a plant is disturbed on which they are present and attracted to light.
  • Brown lacewings undergo four life stages, starting from egg to larva to pupa and finally developing into an adult.
  • Eggs are laid singly on the underside of the leaves and twigs near the prey.
  • Larvae come out from the eggs after hatching, develop through three instars, and then undergo pupation. Larvae are also brown in color, having slender worm-like bodies.
  • Pupation occurs under loose barks or plant surfaces
  • They spend their winter mostly as inactive larvae.