Lace Bug

Scientific Name: Family Tingidae

Order & Family: Order Hemiptera, Family Tingidae

Size: 2 to 8 mm (approximately 1/8 to 1/3 inch) in length.

Lace Bug

Natural Habitat

Found on the undersides of leaves of various trees and shrubs, including azaleas, oaks, and sycamores.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivorous piercer-suckers; they feed on plant sap by piercing the epidermis of leaves.

Behavior Patterns

They often live in colonies on the undersides of leaves. Their presence is usually marked by yellow or white stippling on the upper leaf surface and dark, varnish-like spots of excrement on the underside.

Risks & Benefits

While they do not pose a direct health risk to humans, they can be significant aesthetic pests in gardens and landscapes, causing leaf discoloration and premature leaf drop in heavy infestations.

Identified on: 4/2/2026