Lace Bug

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 the sap of plants, specifically the cells of leaf tissue.

Behavior Patterns

They are often host-specific and live in colonies on the underside of leaves. Their lifecycle involves eggs usually inserted into leaf tissue, followed by several nymphal stages before reaching adulthood.

Risks & Benefits

They are primarily garden and agricultural pests that cause yellow spotting (stippling) on leaves; they pose no physical risk to humans but can weaken or aesthetically damage plants.

Identified on: 1/13/2026