Green lacewing fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are green lacewings?

Green lacewings are delicate Australian insects with pale green bodies and clear wings covered in fine lace-like veins. They belong to the insect order Neuroptera (net-winged insects), and the family Chrysopidae is known as the green lacewings.

Green lacewings are helpful insects in gardens and bushland. Adults are most active at night and may fly to lights. Their larvae are hunters that eat many small plant-pest insects, so gardeners often call them aphid lions. (Antlions are a different group of net-winged insects whose larvae make sand pit traps.)

An adult green lacewing.

A green lacewing adult showing its lace-like wings.

Top view of an adult green lacewing.

Where do green lacewings live?

Green lacewings are found widely across Australia in many habitats, including native vegetation and suburban gardens. You might spot adults resting on leaves during the day, or flying around outdoor lights at night. Because they need food at different life stages, they do best in places with lots of plant cover and many small insects to hunt.

Bushland areas like Field of Mars Reserve provide habitat for lacewings.

What do green lacewings eat?

Adults mostly feed on nectar and pollen. Larvae are the main hunters. They eat many small soft-bodied insects and eggs, such as aphids, thrips, mites, mealybugs, scale insects, moth eggs and tiny caterpillars. Larvae use sharp, curved jaws to pierce prey and suck out the contents.

Adult lacewings feed on nectar and pollen and may transfer pollen between flowers while feeding.

What is the life cycle of a green lacewing?

Green lacewings go through complete metamorphosis (egg → larva → pupa → adult).

Eggs: Females lay eggs on the underside of leaves. Green lacewing eggs sit at the end of long, flexible stalks (this helps protect them from predators like ants).

Larvae: When eggs hatch, the larvae begin hunting straight away. Many green lacewing larvae camouflage themselves by piling the remains of prey (and other debris) on their backs, which helps them hide while they hunt.

Pupa: After growing and moulting several times, the larva spins a silken cocoon and pupates.

Adult: Adults emerge, feed, and females begin laying eggs about a week later.

A green lacewing larva emerging from an egg.

Some lacewing larvae carry prey remains on their backs for camouflage.

What adaptations do green lacewings have to help them survive?

Green lacewings have several adaptations that help them survive in gardens and bushland. Their transparent, net-veined wings and pale green colour help adults blend into leaves, making them harder for predators to spot. Adults are often active at night, which can reduce the chance of being eaten and helps them find food and mates. The larvae are the real hunters: they have strong, curved “sickle” jaws that grab prey and allow them to pierce and suck out fluids. Many green lacewing larvae also use camouflage—some carry dead aphids, insect skins and plant debris on their backs, which hides their body shape and smell so they can ambush prey and avoid predators. Finally, laying eggs on the ends of thin stalks keeps the eggs away from hungry ants and other insects, increasing the chance that young lacewings will hatch safely.

Close-up of a green lacewing head showing compound eyes and bristles.

Why are green lacewings important?

Green lacewing larvae are natural pest controllers. By eating large numbers of small insects, they can reduce pest outbreaks and help plants stay healthy. This is one reason green lacewings are used in integrated pest management (IPM)—working with nature to reduce the need for pesticides.

Lacewing larvae help control aphids and other plant pests in gardens.

How can you help green lacewings?

You can help green lacewings by planting a mix of flowering native plants so adults can find nectar and pollen. Avoid broad-spectrum insect sprays because these can kill lacewings as well as pests. Leave some shrubs, groundcovers and leaf litter so larvae have places to hide while they hunt. If you have outdoor lights, turn them off when you don’t need them—lacewings are attracted to lights at night and can become easy targets for predators.

Flowering native plants provide nectar and pollen for adult lacewings.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – Browse more animals without backbones, including many insects found in gardens and bushland.
• Insects fact sheet – Learn the key features of insects and how green lacewings fit into this group.
• Lady beetles fact sheet – Another helpful predator that eats aphids and other small plant pests.
• Wasp fact sheet – Many native wasps are important predators or parasitoids of other insects.
• True bug fact sheet – Includes plant-feeding insects related to aphids and other sap-suckers that lacewing larvae may hunt.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Habitat fact sheet – An overview of what habitats provide for animals, including food and shelter.
• Tree habitats fact sheet – Leaves, bark and canopy provide hunting and shelter sites for many insects.
• Shrub habitats fact sheet – Shrubs support many small insects that lacewing larvae can hunt.
• Ground cover habitats fact sheet – Low plants shelter invertebrates and support insect food webs.
• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Leaf litter supports many invertebrates and the insects they eat.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Local ecosystem context with layered vegetation that supports insect predators and prey.
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Explore the nearby reserve where many native insects and habitats can be found.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Spider fact sheet – Another important invertebrate predator that helps control insect populations.

Plants that provide nectar and pollen

• Spider flowers fact sheet – A local grevillea group that provides nectar and pollen for many insects.

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