Community identification
Lace Bug
Family Tingidae (multiple genera/species)
- Order & Family
- Order: Hemiptera, Family: Tingidae
- Size
- 2 mm to 8 mm (approximately 1/8 to 1/3 inch) in length.
Natural Habitat
Found primarily on the undersides of leaves of various trees and shrubs including azaleas, oaks, and sycamores.
Diet & Feeding
Herbivorous piercer-suckers that feed on the sap (phloem) of host plant leaves.
Behavior Patterns
They are rarely active flyers but can be carried by wind. They typically remain on a single host plant for their entire life cycle, depositing dark spot-like excrement on the underside of foliage.
Risks & Benefits
They are significant garden pests that cause stippling (yellow spots) or bleaching of leaves, reducing plant vigor. They do not bite humans or pets and have no significant ecological benefit to humans.