Community identification
Lace Bug
Family Tingidae (genera vary by host plant, e.g., Corythucha)
- Order & Family
- Order Hemiptera; Family Tingidae
- Size
- 2 to 8 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Typically found on the undersides of leaves of various trees and shrubs, including oak, sycamore, and azalea.
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 colonize in large groups. During feeding, they produce dark, varnish-like spots of excrement on the foliage. They undergo simple metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult).
Risks & Benefits
Generally considered a landscape pest that causes 'stippling' or yellowing of leaves. While they do not bite humans or transmit diseases, heavy infestations can aesthetically damage or weaken host plants.