Green lacewings Facts
Green lacewings Facts
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| Interesting Green lacewings Facts: |
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| Green lacewings can reach around 0.5 inches in length. |
| Green lacewings are green or yellow colored. Color of the body provides camouflage in areas covered with dense vegetation. |
| Green lacewings have golden eyes, long antennas, soft body and 2 pairs of large, transparent wings with green veins. Folded wings look like a tent above the body. Green lacewings have a wingspan of 2.3 to 25.5 inches, depending on the species. |
| Green lacewings can be active during the night (adults) or during the day and night (larvae). |
| Green lacewings are omnivores (their diet is based on the plants and animals). Larvae feed exclusively on aphids, mites, flies, thrips, leafhoppers, caterpillars and eggs of butterflies. Adults consume insects, nectar and pollen. Green lacewings play important role in the pollination of various plants (they transfer pollen from one flower to another). |
| Green lacewings are used as biological weapon against pest insects in the gardens. |
| Natural enemies of green lacewings are bats, birds, spiders, ants and dragonflies. |
| Some species of green lacewings release foul smelling substance to protect themselves against predators. |
| Green lacewings are solitary creatures. |
| Green lacewings produce song of ultra-low frequency by vibrating their abdomens. Song is an important part of courtship during the spring and summer. |
| Female lays eggs (100 - 200 eggs in a lifetime) on the bottom side of leaves. Eggs are located at the end of long, white, hanging stalks. They hatch after few days. |
| Green lacewings undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (nymph), pupa and adult insect. |
| Larva is elongated and light colored with brown and grey strips on the sides of the body. It actively hunts aphids and mites and injects digestive juices into the body of the victim. In less than 90 seconds, liquefied meal is ready for consumption. Larvae of green lacewings are also known as "aphid lions" because of their predatory nature and ability to kill aphids with ease. |
| After three weeks and several molting sessions, larva encloses in the cocoon and enters the pupa stage. 5 days later, fully-formed (adult) insect emerges from the cocoon. Some species of green lacewings overwinter in pre-pupa stage, while others can overwinter as adults. |
| Most species of green lacewings (adults) live around 6 weeks. |
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