Community identification
Lace Bug
Family Tingidae (various species)
- Order & Family
- Hemiptera: Tingidae
- Size
- 2 mm to 8 mm (approximately 0.08 to 0.3 inches)
Natural Habitat
Found on the undersides of leaves of trees and shrubs, including sycamore, oak, azalea, and rhododendron.
Diet & Feeding
Herbivorous; they use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap from the undersides of leaves.
Behavior Patterns
They are slow-moving and often stay on the same plant for their entire life cycle. They lay eggs along leaf veins and can cause 'stippling' or yellowing on foliage.
Risks & Benefits
Generally harmless to humans. They are plant pests that can cause aesthetic damage to ornamental plants and trees, though they rarely kill the host plant.