Lace Bug

Natural Habitat

Typically found on the undersides of leaves of specific host plants, including trees like oak, sycamore, and shrubs like azalea and rhododendron.

Diet & Feeding

Lace bugs are herbivores that use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap from the underside of leaves, causing yellow or white stippling on the upper surface.

Behavior Patterns

They undergo incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult). They are often found in groups and are known for the intricate, lace-like patterns on their wings and thorax. They typically overwinter as eggs or adults in bark crevices.

Risks & Benefits

They are considered ornamental pests that can cause aesthetic damage to foliage through 'stippling' and leave unsightly dark varnish-like spots of excrement. They pose no significant risk to humans, though they may occasionally land on skin and deliver a minor, non-venomous 'test' bite.

Identified on: 2/20/2026