Lace bug

Natural Habitat

Commonly found on the undersides of leaves of trees and shrubs, including azaleas, rhododendrons, oaks, and sycamores.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivorous. They use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap, typically from the underside of leaves.

Behavior Patterns

They are slow-moving and often complete their entire life cycle on a single host plant. Feeding causes 'stippling'—yellow or white spots on the upper leaf surface—and they leave behind dark, varnish-like waste spots on the underside.

Risks & Benefits

They are agricultural and ornamental pests that can cause significant aesthetic damage to garden plants. While they do not bite humans for blood, they have been known to occasionally 'prod' human skin with their mouthparts, causing minor irritation.

Identified on: 1/12/2026