The common green lacewing (Chrysoperla rufilabris) is a widely used beneficial insect which naturally controls many different pests. Actually, the adult stage of this beneficial does not kill other insects but subsists on pollen, sweet nectar, etc. It is their offspring, lacewing larvae, that do the job. The adult lays her eggs on the foliage, each on the top of hairlike filaments. After a few days the lacewing eggs hatch and a tiny larvae emerges, which is also known as the “aphid lion” due to its voracious appetite.
Lacewing larvae are similar in appearance to an alligator with pincers like tiny ice tongs, and vigorously attack their prey, injecting a paralyzing venom, then drawing out the body fluids of the victim. Besides aphids, they feed on just about any soft-bodied pest they can “grab,” including citrus mealybugs, cottony cushion scale, spider mites, thrips, caterpillars, insect eggs, etc. It is known to be cannibalistic if no other food source is available. During the two to three weeks in this stage it will devour up to 200 victims a week. After this, it will pupate by spinning a cocoon with silken thread and approximately five days later the adult emerges to complete the life cycle. |
