Lace Bug
Scientific Name: Stephanitis spp. (likely Stephanitis pyrioides or similar)
Order & Family: Hemiptera / Tingidae
Size: 3 mm to 6 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Typically found on the undersides of leaves of ornamental plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, and various broad-leaved trees.
Diet & Feeding
Herbivorous; they use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the plant sap from the underside of leaves.
Behavior Patterns
They are slow-moving insects that spend most of their lives on a host plant. They lay eggs along the leaf veins, often covering them with a dark, varnish-like excrement.
Risks & Benefits
They are considered garden pests as their feeding causes 'stippling' (yellow or white spots) on leaves and can lead to premature leaf drop. They do not pose a direct health risk to humans.
Identified on: 1/4/2026