Green Lacewing

Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)

Common Green Lacewing, Aphid Lion (larval stage)

Found in gardens, ornamental plantings, and crop edges; adults most common in late spring through early fall; overwinters as an adult in sheltered sites.

Chrysoperla carnea adults are 0.5–0.75 inches with large, bright green wings patterned with a fine network of veins and golden or copper-colored eyes. Adults feed primarily on nectar, pollen, and honeydew. The larvae — called aphid lions — are tan with tufted lateral projections and elongated, hollow mandibles; they actively hunt and drain aphids, small caterpillars, thrips, mite eggs, and whitefly nymphs. A single larva can consume 200–400 prey items before pupating in a spherical silk cocoon.

Native region: Chrysoperla carnea is widely distributed throughout Tennessee and the broader Southeast; also commercially produced for augmentative biological control.

In Middle Tennessee ornamental beds and vegetable gardens, Chrysoperla carnea larvae provide rapid aphid suppression during the May–August window when crape myrtle aphids, oleander aphids, and rose aphids peak. Eggs are laid individually on slender silk stalks — a field mark that distinguishes them from all other insect eggs on foliage. Pyrethroid and organophosphate applications are lethal to both larvae and adults; insect growth regulators have lower impact. Planting pollen and nectar sources such as fennel, coriander, and buckwheat near ornamental beds supports adult Chrysoperla populations and encourages on-site reproduction.