Why does the lacewing lay her eggs on stalks?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
March 6, 2002
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Aphids, mites, thrips, and caterpillars look on our gardens as a jungle of food. But every jungle has its predators and most are never seen. In the evening hours, the green lacewings (family: Chrysopidae) will gather around outside lights. They are fragile looking creatures with gold or copper-colored eyes.
Lacewings come to the lights, but the females are attracted to the odor of the honeydew given off by aphids. The following morning, lacewing eggs propped on thin stalks can be found on leaves harboring prey.
'Aphid lions' are the larvae of lacewings. These voracious predators will eat any soft-bodied insect they chance upon; the eggs-on-stalks separate the sibling larvae protecting the hatchlings from each other.
The larvae are not efficient hunters; they creep along the surface of a leaf and bungle into their prey. When contact is made, the aphid lion lunges forward and impales the victim. Holding the insect in its claws, the larva injects digestive enzymes into the body. After the enzymes have liquefied the internal organs, the aphid lion sucks the contents leaving the empty exoskeleton.
The female lacewing lives up to three months. In that time she will lay 400 to 500 eggs. Each larva can eat 20 aphids or 40 mites a day. Depending on species and temperature the aphid lion will feast for the next one to two weeks.
There are several species of 'trash-bearing' lacewings. The larval stage dresses its back with the empty husks of its victims and other debris.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Services of the University of Florida have several photographs of a lacewing, eggs, and larvae attacking a caterpillar. To view the photographs, click on the link:
http://eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/Neuroptera/chrysopid.htm 
Scroll down through the document.
To view the 'trash-bearing' larva, click on the link:
http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/228.htm
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~6~~7~~8~~9~~10~~
Suggested Reading:
How does the oleander aphid protect herself? Renfield's Garden - April 13, 2005
How did American clones cause a French disaster? Renfield's Garden - March 20, 2002
Are soldiers defending your garden? Renfield's Garden - January 21 2004
What is a hairy potato? Renfield's Garden - October 10, 2001
What lady bugs the common bean? Renfield's Garden - September 19, 2001
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