Once their food source is exhausted they will leave the area. The predatory larvae feed for weeks before they become adults. The adults must have a source of nectar, pollen, or honeydew to feed on in the general vicinity of the pest area to stimulate egg laying, or they will leave.
Providing an adequate food supply and suitable adult habitat can contribute to lacewings remaining and reproducing in the crop. Additional releases can provide a continuous supply of larvae if adults do not stay and reproduce.
The number of lacewings needed for effective control depends on the pest population and climatic conditions. For control of moderate aphid infestations in home gardens, lacewing eggs per plant or 1, eggs per square feet are recommended. General release recommendations for most crop situations start at 5, per acre for each application, but much higher rates may be necessary. Two or three successive releases made at two week intervals are better than a single release.
Suppliers usually make recommendations based on specific situations. These insects are extremely effective under certain conditions, especially in protected or enclosed areas such as a greenhouse, but they may fail to survive and provide control when conditions are not favorable. Because young larvae are susceptible to dessication, they may need a source of moisture.
Adult lacewings need nectar or honeydew as food before egg laying and they also feed on pollen. Therefore, plantings should include flowering plants, and a low level of aphids should be tolerated.
Artificial foods and honeydew substitutes are available commercially and have been used to enhance the number and activity of adult lacewings. These products may provide sufficient nutrients to promote egg laying, but they cannot counter the dispersal behavior of newly emerged adult lacewings.
Green lacewing eggs are shipped in bran or rice hulls and packed with moth eggs for food. The best time to release is early morning or later afternoon. Never release in the heat of the day. For best results, immediate use is advised however, when release is inconvenient, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
They will eat almost any small insects or eggs. Some of the particular bugs they go after include the Two-spotted Mite, the Greenhouse Whitefly, various species of scales and mealy bug and moth eggs. The lacewing is especially effective when it comes to aphids, and can eat up to 60 in an hour. There are also Brown Lacewings.
These are slightly smaller than the green varieties and less likely to camouflage themselves in your garden. Lacewing larvae will feed for two to three weeks, then spin a silken cocoon and pupate. After nine days, an adult Green Lacewing emerges to start the cycle all over again. Nectar and pollen will help encourage Lacewings into your garden. Make sure you have many nectar-rich flowering plants in your patch. Another good tip is to have a good mixture of plants , as this is a good way to ensure an alternative food source for the Green Lacewing if bugs are running low.
To see Green Lacewings in the garden and enjoy their free bug control service, you need to have bugs around. Avoid using chemicals in your garden and let the bugs be bugs and eat each other. Green Lacewing larvae use the remains of their prey as camouflage. A good tip for those of you with keen eyes is to look for the fast-moving one, as the larvae will move more quickly than its prey.
Larvae are called aphidlions, because they feed on other soft-bodied insects as well as aphids. They are voracious feeders, attacking with large, curved, hollow mandibles. This is the most beneficial stage with the lacewings. They feed on soft-bodied insects like aphids, but will also feed on caterpillars and some beetles. The larvae will pupate on plants which they were searching for insect prey. The pupa is light in color and egg shaped.
While rare, lacewing larvae are known to bite humans. This is usually nothing more than a small skin irritation. Despite these rare encounters, they remain important natural enemies of many insect pests. Green lacewing eggs have been available from a few biological control supply houses in North America.
These have been used with some success in Kentucky at controlling aphids in greenhouses and in plant beds.
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