That green fluttery insect near your porch light at night — with wings like green lace? That’s a green lacewing. Lacewings are beneficials — good insects, ones that prey on insects you don’t want. Actually, what you’ve seen is an adult lacewing; it feeds on flower nectar, pollen, and aphid honeydew. It’s the lacewing larvae that do the dirty work — that tackle pests.
These larvae are fierce and active predators of aphids and other small insects in many agricultural crops. They’re often called antlions and look like little green-gray alligators. These larvae have sickle-shaped jaws that inject a paralyzing venom into their prey, then suck out the body fluids. Each antlion can feed on hundreds of aphids.
You can find lacewings on warm nights. Adults are light green with long, slender antennae, golden eyes, with large (relative to their size), lacelike wings 1/2 to 1/3 inches long. The larvae reach about 1/2″ long before they pupate.
