Lacewings are very beneficial insects. Their larvae are active predators of a range of invertebrates including aphids, scale insects, caterpillars etc.
Lacewings belong to the insect order Neuroptera which means ‘et-winged.’
There are around 18 species of green lacewing in the UK.
Most lacewing are nocturnal or ‘crepuscular’ (coming out at dawn and dusk). Like many moths they are attracted to artificial lights.
Females attach their eggs to leaves usually near a colony of aphids so that the larvae have a handy food source when they hatch.
After hatching and eating aphids for a few weeks, they make a cocoon fixed to the underside of a leaf.
There can be two generations of lacewings a year in the UK.
Philosophising... 