Lacewings: The Garden’s Gentle Pest Patrol

If your garden had its own natural security team, lacewings would be the quiet, highly effective night-shift officers. Delicate, pale-green insects with transparent, veined wings, adult lacewings look almost like tiny fairies floating through the landscape. But don’t let their fragile appearance fool you—lacewings are some of the most valuable beneficial insects you can welcome into your yard.

Why Lacewings Matter

Lacewings belong to the family Chrysopidae, and while the adults feed mainly on nectar, pollen, and honeydew, their larvae are the real heroes. Often called “aphid lions,” lacewing larvae are fierce predators of soft-bodied garden pests. One tiny larva can consume hundreds of pests a week, including:

• Aphids

• Thrips

• Whiteflies

• Mites

• Leafhopper nymphs

• Mealybugs

• Small caterpillars

• Insect eggs

This makes lacewings a powerful ally for organic gardeners looking to reduce pesticide use and restore ecological balance naturally.

Benefits to the Garden

1. Natural Pest Control Without Chemicals

Lacewings help manage pest populations the way nature intended—no sprays, no residues, no harm to pollinators. They are especially useful during early pest surges, when aphids and whiteflies begin multiplying rapidly.

2. Safe for People, Pets, and Pollinators

Unlike many chemical controls, lacewings pose no risk to humans or animals. Adult lacewings also avoid eating plants, so there’s no leaf damage or crop loss.

3. Helps Protect Young Plants

Tender seedlings and new growth are prime targets for sap-sucking insects. Lacewing larvae hunt these pests aggressively, giving young plants a better chance to thrive.

4. Supports Biodiversity

Attracting lacewings means you're also supporting the entire beneficial insect food web. Their presence encourages a healthier ecosystem, where pest outbreaks are less extreme and more manageable.

5. Improves Long-Term Garden Health

Consistent natural pest control leads to:

• Less plant stress

• Fewer viral and fungal diseases spread by insects

• Better growth and yields

• More resilient plants overall

How to Attract Lacewings

To invite these beneficial insects into your garden, focus on providing food and habitat for the adults:

• Plant nectar-rich flowers such as dill, fennel, yarrow, coreopsis, cosmos, sweet alyssum, and coneflower

• Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides—they eliminate lacewings along with pests

• Leave small garden areas slightly wild for shelter

• Provide a shallow water source or mist plants occasionally

• Use companion planting to boost nectar and pollen availability

You can even purchase lacewing eggs or larvae from reputable insectaries if you want to jump-start your pest control early in the season.

Fun Fact: Lacewing Eggs Look Like Tiny Lollipops

Lacewings lay their eggs at the end of hair-like stalks attached to leaves. This protects them from being eaten by ants or other insects before they hatch. If you spot them, celebrate—it means your garden is hosting the next generation of pest-eating protectors!

A Garden Win-Win

Lacewings deliver one of the best trades in nature: they eat what harms your plants, and leave everything else alone. Encouraging them is not just smart gardening—it’s environmental stewardship.

So next time you see a flutter of green wings drifting through the dusk, smile. The night watch has arrived, and your garden is safer for it.