Green vs. Brown Lacewings: Larvae and Adults Compared
If you have spotted brown lacewing larvae in a garden bed, on a porch wall, or inside a houseplant cluster, you are probably looking at a tiny predator at work. These larva are not pests, even if they look odd at first glance, and they hunt soft-bodied insects that damage plants. Green lacewing larvae do the same job, but the two groups look different enough that a close look helps.
How to Tell Brown Lacewing Larvae from Green Lacewing Larvae
Brown lacewing larvae are slender, alligatorlike predators with a rougher, darker look than green lacewing larvae. They are usually brown, gray, or mottled, and their bodies look more stout and textured. Green lacewing larvae are paler, more delicate in appearance, and often have a cleaner green, tan, or gray color with a more tapered body.
What to look for on the body
Both larvae have long jaws that point forward like sickles, which they use to grab prey. Brown lacewing larvae tend to look more armored, with stronger body segments and a slightly bristly surface. Green lacewing larvae look slimmer and softer-bodied. In both groups, the head is small, the legs are long, and the whole insect is built for hunting, not for crawling quickly away from danger.
How the eggs and adults differ
Adult lacewings are easier to separate. Green lacewings have bright, transparent green bodies and clear wings with a lace-like vein pattern. Brown lacewings are duller, more tan to brown, and their wings and bodies blend into bark, mulch, and leaf litter. Their eggs also differ, because green lacewings lay eggs on slender stalks, while brown lacewing eggs are not raised on long threads like that.
What Brown Lacewing Larvae Eat and How They Hunt
Brown lacewing larvae feed on soft-bodied garden pests. Their prey includes aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, and small insect eggs. They hunt by moving slowly through leaves, stems, mulch, and cracks in sheltered spaces, then seizing prey with their jaws and draining the body contents.
Why gardeners value them
These larvae are useful in vegetable beds, flower borders, greenhouses, and around ornamentals because they target pests that feed by piercing and sucking plant tissue. A single larva can kill many prey items during its growth. Green lacewing larvae do the same work, so both are welcome allies in a pesticide-free garden.
Where they spend their time
Brown lacewing larvae hide in low vegetation, leaf litter, mulch, and protected corners where prey is abundant. They do not chase prey across open ground. Instead, they rely on camouflage and patience, which makes them easy to overlook unless you inspect plant undersides and sheltered edges closely.
Life Cycle and Behavior: Eggs, Larvae, Pupae, Adults
Lacewings develop through complete metamorphosis, which means egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larval stage does the hunting. The adult stage focuses on feeding, mating, and egg laying, and green lacewing adults are especially known for helping gardeners by producing the next generation of predators.
Brown lacewing larval stage
The larva grows through several molts as it feeds. During this stage it looks like a tiny predator with a narrow body and curved jaws. When it is ready to transform, it spins or forms a protected resting place and becomes a pupa before emerging as an adult lacewing.
Adult behavior and activity
Adults are mostly nocturnal or active in low light, and they are drawn to lights and sheltered outdoor areas. Brown lacewing adults are less conspicuous than green lacewing adults, but both can be found in gardens, hedges, wooded edges, and around buildings where prey insects are present.
Habitat, Seasonality, and Where You Are Most Likely to Find Them
Brown lacewings and green lacewings live where prey and cover are available. That includes gardens, orchards, weedy edges, shrubs, leaf litter, hedgerows, and protected structures like porches and greenhouses. If you see aphids or mites on a plant, lacewing larvae may be nearby.
Best places to inspect
Check the undersides of leaves, new growth, flower clusters, and stems near aphid colonies. Also look in mulch and around plant supports. Brown lacewing larvae blend well with bark and dried plant matter, so a careful visual inspection matters more than a quick glance.
Seasonal pattern
They are most active during warm growing weather, when soft-bodied pests multiply quickly. Green lacewings are widely associated with summer garden activity, and brown lacewings follow the same broad seasonal pattern wherever temperatures support insect growth.
How to Attract Lacewings and Other Beneficial Insects Naturally
You can support lacewings by giving them food, shelter, and a garden that is not stripped bare. The best habitat for green and brown lacewings also supports ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and bees. A diverse garden with flowering plants and some structure creates steady insect activity.
Plants that help
Plant small-flowered herbs and nectar sources such as dill, fennel, cilantro, alyssum, yarrow, and dill left to flower. These plants provide pollen and nectar for adult lacewings and also feed hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and bees. Leave some non-harmful weeds at the border if they are not crowding your beds.
Garden habits that help
Reduce broad spraying, keep a shallow water source nearby, and leave a little mulch, leaf litter, and plant cover in out-of-the-way spots. Adults need safe places to rest and lay eggs. If you want more lacewing larvae, avoid wiping out every insect in the garden, because their prey and their adults both need a functioning habitat.
Natural Ways to Protect Plants Without Harming Lacewings
If your goal is pest control, focus on exclusion, cleanup, and targeted natural methods. Lacewings are allies, so broad insecticides work against the very insects that help you. A narrow, physical, or plant-based approach protects your plants while preserving beneficial predators.
- Rinse aphids and mites off with a firm spray of water, aiming at the undersides of leaves.
- Prune the most heavily infested tips and place them in the trash, not the compost.
- Use row cover or fine mesh on seedlings and young crops to block pests from landing.
- Apply diatomaceous earth only to dry outer surfaces where crawling pests travel, and keep it away from open flowers and wet foliage.
- Use neem-free companion planting and flowering borders to hold beneficial insects in the area.
- Apply essential oil sprays only to problem spots and only after checking the label for safe dilution, then avoid spraying directly on beneficial insects or open blooms.
Use these methods early, before pest numbers explode. If lacewing larvae are already present, preserve them and let them work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are brown lacewing larvae harmful to people?
No. Brown lacewing larvae do not bite people in normal garden or household situations, and they do not damage plants. They are predators of small insects, not a threat to you.
Do green lacewing larvae eat the same pests as brown lacewing larvae?
Yes. Both hunt aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, and insect eggs. Green lacewing larvae are especially valued in gardens because they are common and active pest hunters.
Why do lacewing larvae look like pests?
They are built for hunting, with long jaws, narrow bodies, and a rough, camouflaged appearance. That shape helps them blend into leaves, mulch, and bark while they wait for prey.
Should I remove lacewing larvae from my plants?
No. If you see them on plants with aphids or mites, leave them alone. They are helping reduce pest pressure naturally.