Community identification
Lace Bug
Corythucha spp. (commonly Corythucha ciliata for sycamore lace bug)
- Order & Family
- Hemiptera: Tingidae
- Size
- 3 to 6 millimeters (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch) in length
Natural Habitat
Typically found on the undersides of leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs, such as sycamore, oak, or azalea.
Diet & Feeding
They use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap (plant juices) of host leaves, causing stippling or yellowing.
Behavior Patterns
They are slow-moving insects that often live in colonies on the underside of leaves. They undergo incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult).
Risks & Benefits
They are primarily plant pests and do not pose a direct health risk to humans, though they can occasionally land on people and bite. Their presence can weaken host plants.