Lacewing Larva (often called 'Trash Bug' or 'Aphid Lion')
Scientific Name: Chrysopidae family (specifically the larval form)
Order & Family: Neuroptera; Chrysopidae
Size: 2 mm to 8 mm (larva)
Natural Habitat
Found in gardens, forests, agricultural fields, and occasionally indoors if they wander inside. They frequent plants with high aphid populations.
Diet & Feeding
Voracious predators that eat aphids (hence the name 'Aphid Lion'), mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, insect eggs, and other small soft-bodied insects.
Behavior Patterns
The 'trash bug' larvae have specialized bristles on their backs that they use to carry debris such as lichen, moss, bark, and the empty husks of their prey. This pile of 'trash' acts as camouflage to protect them from predators like birds and larger insects.
Risks & Benefits
Benefits: Highly beneficial to gardeners and farmers as natural pest control agents. Risks: They have large mandibles and can bite humans if handled, causing a sharp but harmless prick, often described as more annoying than painful. They are non-venomous.
Identified on: 2/8/2026