Lace bugs are harmless insects that belong to the Tingidae family in the order Hemiptera, with 2,000 known species spread worldwide. They are incredibly small insects that grow to about one-eight inches in length in adulthood, with lace-patterned wings and needle-like mouthparts to feed on flowering plants, leaves, shrubs, and certain trees. They’re named lace bugs because of the lace-like appearance of their wings.
Lace bugs are sap-sucking insects that deface different host plants, leaving significant damage like stippling, leaf discoloration, and premature leaf drops, particularly if they’re present in large numbers.
This guide on lace bugs will help you understand more about this insect and provide practical tips on how to get rid of lace bugs without using harmful chemicals.
1. Cultural Practices
Lace bugs live and develop from nymphs to adults on the undersides of leaves. If you’re looking for an infestation, check your plant leaves for these insects. Two of the most common species of lace bugs are the azalea lace bug and sycamore lace bug, both named after their host plants. If you have such plants in your home, check them first.
These insects are distinctive with their lace-patterned wings extending to their thorax. Their flat bodies are mostly light-colored with dark markings all over. They have needle-like mouthparts to suck into leaves, just like other plant-sucking insects. Lace bug nymphs, on the other hand, are wingless with spiny flat, oval-shaped bodies. Their colors are darker than adult lace bugs.
Lace bugs thrive in early spring or late summer, which means they prefer hot and dry areas. So, be sure to place your plants under a partial shade where they don’t get too hot but can also receive light every day.
Keep watering your plants with a garden hose to ensure they’re always cool and moist. Another way to keep your plants moist is to apply mulch on the soil, but don’t use mulch from host plants as they may contain lace bug eggs or adults.
Other cultural practices you can do are:
- Replacing plants that repeatedly experience pest attacks
- Keep checking your plants for a lace bug infestation
2. Natural Predators
You can use other beneficial insects or so-called predator insects to control lace bugs in your garden. These insects can exterminate even the larvae before they develop fully. Some of these lace bug predators include:
- Pirate bugs
- Spider mites
- Assassin bugs
- Lady beetles
- Green lacewings (larvae)
One thing you can do to increase the presence of these lace bug predators is to grow some flowering plants and place them in partially-shaded areas of your garden. These predatory insects will help with your lace bug pest management and other pest control in the long run.
3. Water Pressure
Spraying the foliage with water doesn’t just keep the plants cool, but it can also wash lace bugs off the leaves. One notable thing about lace bugs is that they can overwinter at the start of their life cycle, which means by early spring, most of them are nymphs developing into adults. Try to regularly spray the foliage at the start of the season to wash these insects off before they start to further develop. You may even remove lace bug eggs before they hatch. Don’t add too much water pressure though while spraying on your plants to avoid damaging them.
Pros and Cons of Using Chemical Methods in Getting Rid of Lace Bugs |
|
PROS |
CONS |
| Exterminate lace bugs and other garden pests easily | Accidentally eliminate beneficial insects |
| Prevent lace bugs from infesting again | Harmful to people, pets, and plants |
| Cheaper to use | Could bring long-term side effects to the environment |
Pro Tip
If you’re looking for signs of infestation, lace bug nymphs leave cast skin remains on the foliage of plants when they molt their exoskeletons. Both lace bug adults and nymphs also leave noticeable dark excrements on the undersides of leaves.
4. Pruning
If you spot an infestation in your foliage, cut those leaves off and burn them. You can also wrap the pruned foliage parts in plastic and throw them out to keep lace bugs away from your garden. Pruning is also helpful in allowing your plants to grow back to their original beauty.
Once lace bugs feed on your plants and create stippling on the leaves, the plants won’t regenerate unless you prune the infested parts. Lace bugs also produce noticeable dark excrements on the leaf surface during their life cycle, which can be horrible to look at.
5. Raking or Removing Debris
Lace bugs can overwinter as eggs and adults on debris, like fallen leaves, under host plants. You can get rid of lace bugs early by raking or removing such chaff, so that lace bugs won’t have a place to overwinter or hide. Getting rid of waste doesn’t just fend off lace bugs but also other pests, like spiders or squirrels, which are known to take shelter or hide in piles of junk.
You can immediately burn or throw away the collected debris to eliminate lace bugs. Just make sure to throw it out of the house and away from your property. Don’t just toss these into your garden compost so you can avoid providing more shelter to these pests.
6. Neem Oil
Neem oil is a famous chemical alternative against different garden pests. It kills insects by blocking their breathing openings with oil and suffocating them. Extracted from Azadirachta indica or the neem tree, this natural insecticide is readily available for purchase, so you won’t have to worry about extracting this solution yourself. Neem oil can be used in many different ways.
The best application of neem oil is by spraying but you can also do a direct application like carbaryl. However, only apply this solution in the evening or away from direct light to prevent the plants from burning and to allow the neem oil to seep further.
Neem oil has a low toxicity rating so it’s less harmful to humans and other beneficial insects like pollinators. Still, avoid spraying the solution on your eyes and only use it as directed.
7. Horticultural Oil
Like neem oil, horticultural oil works the same way against different garden pests like aphids, thrips, and whiteflies. This natural insecticide is petroleum-based or derived from mineral oils. It’s also available as a vegetable-based oil or extracted from seed crops.
You can apply horticultural oil the same way as neem oil, and you shouldn’t use it in direct sunlight or at high temperatures. The only difference with neem oil is that it’s more toxic to insects, while horticultural oil solely relies on suffocating them.
Horticultural oil is also considered safe for people and pets.
8. Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soap is one of the oldest natural repellents against insects. It simply works by drying the insect until they die or, in some cases, suffocating them too. Insecticidal soap can be used as a spray on foliage.
There are many commercial insecticidal soaps you can buy, however, you can create your own DIY spray with a few homemade products. One known recipe for homemade insecticidal soap has a combination of vegetable oil, soap, and distilled water. You can also go for other natural repellents, like garlic. However, if you don’t like strong odors, it’s probably safer to go for more odorless ingredients.
This organic insecticide is not harmful to people and pets, but they can be toxic to plants, especially if oil is added to the mixture. Test the solution first on small parts of the garden and wait a day for side effects before using it for all your plants.
9. Spinosad
Spinosad is based on a mixture of chemical compounds from bacterial species and they’re highly toxic to insects. They exterminate insects by affecting their nervous system, paralyzing and killing them.
This organic pesticide is typically applied by spraying and has systemic properties like imidacloprid. Systemic insecticides, like imidacloprid, work by seeping into the plant and killing or deterring insects when they eat any plant parts.
Spinosad toxicity is less harmful to people and pets, however, it’s still irritating and can cause redness when accidentally applied to a person’s skin or eyes.
Maintain a Lace-Bug-Free Garden
Lace bugs are harmless insects that can cause costly damage to the plants of plant-lovers everywhere. These nine solutions can help exterminate lace bugs effectively without using any toxic chemicals. However, if a lace bug infestation gets out of control, you can always contact the experts at Pest Guide! Pest Guide will help exterminate lace bugs and other garden pests in your home for you.
Get rid of your lace bug infestation and other garden pests with Pest Guide! Contact an exterminator today!
Frequently Asked Questions
While lace bugs are only harmful to gardens and not to people, they can cost you a lot in plant damage, which can stress people out. For instance, lace bugs not just feed on host leaves, but in some cases, they also reduce fruit yield in some fruit-bearing host trees.
Lace bugs target the underside of the leaves of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Their common hosts are azalea, sycamore, rhododendron, basswood, elm, hackberry, hawthorn, lantana, oak, and pyracantha.
Beneficial insects, like assassin bugs, help reduce garden pests like lace bugs. However, some of these predator insects are also harmful to humans. You can let them be, but be cautious when you go near them.