Lace Bug Nymph

Natural Habitat

Found on the undersides of leaves of various deciduous trees and shrubs, including oak, sycamore, and azalea.

Diet & Feeding

Plant juices; they utilize piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap from the underside of leaves.

Behavior Patterns

Nymphs are often covered in spines or dark spots and move slowly. They stay grouped on the undersides of leaves, leaving behind dark varnish-like spots of excrement. They go through five nymphal instars before becoming winged adults.

Risks & Benefits

They are considered horticultural pests as their feeding causes stippling or bleaching of leaves. While generally harmless to humans, they can occasionally bite if they land on skin, causing minor, temporary irritation.

Identified on: 1/30/2026