Lacewing Eggs in Denver
I spotted these mysterious eggs at our community garden in Denver, and I took this photo and “googled” eggs on stalks and low-and-behold… I found out that they are Lacewing eggs! Neat!
Lacewings are great in the garden, adults feed only on nectar, pollen, and aphid honeydew, but the larvae are active predators – they are similar in appearance to an alligator with pincers like tiny ice tongs – these bugs vigorously attack its prey, injecting a paralyzing venom then drawing out the body fluids of its victim. Besides aphids, they feed on just about any soft-bodied pest they can “grab,” including citrus mealybugs, cottony cushion scale, spider mites, thrips, caterpillars, insect eggs, etc.
Here’s a Lacewing adult:
Avoid pesticides and you’ll find that nature has it’s own pest control!