Lace Bug

Natural Habitat

Typically found on the undersides of leaves of various trees and shrubs, including azaleas, rhododendrons, and sycamores.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivorous; they use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap from leaf tissue, causing stippling or chlorosis.

Behavior Patterns

They are slow-moving and often colonize the undersides of leaves. They deposit dark, varnish-like spots of excrement on foliage. Life cycle includes egg, several nymphal stages, and adult.

Risks & Benefits

They are considered horticultural pests as they can cause significant aesthetic damage and weaken host plants. They do not pose a direct health risk to humans or pets.

Identified on: 3/14/2026