Debris-Carrying Lacewing Larva (often called "Trash Bug" or "Junk Bug")
Scientific Name: Chrysopidae (Family)
Order & Family: Neuroptera; Chrysopidae
Size: Typically 6–10 mm (excluding the debris pile they carry)
Natural Habitat
Found on vegetation, tree bark, and sometimes on the walls of homes where their prey is abundant.
Diet & Feeding
Voracious predators of soft-bodied insects like aphids, mites, scale insects, insect eggs, whiteflies, and mealybugs.
Behavior Patterns
The larva attaches the empty exoskeletons of its prey, along with bits of lichen, moss, and other plant debris, to sticky bristles on its back. This camouflage protects it from predators like ants and birds and allows it to sneak up on prey.
Risks & Benefits
Harmless to humans; they are beneficial garden insects often used as biological pest control because they consume large numbers of plant-damaging pests like aphids.
Identified on: 2/19/2026