lacewing

noun

lace·wing ˈlās-ˌwiŋ

: any of various neuropterous insects (such as genera Chrysopa and Hemerobius) having delicate lacelike wing venation, long antennae, and often brilliant eyes

called also lacewing fly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web This pest has insufficient enemies in the garden, although minute pirate bugs and the larvae of the lacewing and syrphid fly are predators.

Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2022 Some lacewing larvae, predators of pest insects, gather bits of lichen into a turtle-like shell for camouflage.

Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2022 Minute pirate bugs and the larvae of the lacewing and syrphid fly do attack them, but in our gardens right now, chilli thrips are pests without sufficient enemies.

San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2021 Gradwohl’s favorite specimen is a brown lacewing, a small fly-like insect that was collected by Charles Darwin himself on the island of Tasmania in February 1863.

San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2021 The lacewing is among more than 1 million insects in the museum’s collection, each pinned and displayed with a tag detailing the date and location where it was found.

San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2021 Brown lacewing eggs are not on silken stalks but are instead attached to surfaces.

Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 3 Aug. 2020 In theory, this means that unlike traditional pesticides, the treatment will be very specific to the invasive Asian citrus psyllid and won't impact other beneficial insects such as bees or green lacewings.

Amanda Morris, AZCentral.com, 15 Apr. 2020 Protect To control pests like aphids and whiteflies, introduce ladybugs and lacewings.

Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 16 Mar. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lacewing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.