Lacewing egg

Found this lone lacewing egg on a passionvine leaf I picked for our Gulf Fritillary caterpillars. The eggs are exquisite: teeny TicTacs on hair-like stalks, usually laid in a row with spaces between (to prevent cannibalism amongst siblings).

Green lacewings are beneficial insects—they eat the eaters of our plants—but not so beneficial in a butterfly nursery, where caterpillars are supposed to pig out on host plants. A lacewing larva would eat our Gulf Fritillary eggs and instars.

So, I’ve put the little egg by itself in a container where I hope to watch it hatch. I’ve seen lacewing larvae patrol my plants and trees (as “aphid lions” a.k.a. trashbugs), and I’ve seen the graceful, winged adults, but I’ve never seen what emerges fresh from the teeny TicTac.

And then, of course, I’ll release it. But not on the passionvine.

EDIT: It hatched! Same day:

And boy, does it move fast:

I let it go in the tomato patch…

 

 

Link for more Green Lacewing info: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/NE/green_lacewing.html