Lace bugs are common pests of azalea, rhododendron, sycamore, broad-leaved evergreens and many deciduous trees and shrubs, (pyracantha, hawthorn, quince, sycamore, oak, and American elm).
Adult lace bugs are clear, small, broad, flat insects, about 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4 inch) long with a netlike pattern on the wings, which are dotted with brown and black. Lace bugs can be divided into two groups - those that attack deciduous trees and shrubs and those that attack evergreen shrubs. Both adults and nymphs suck sap and cause leaves to be off-colored, speckled, and yellowed and to drop.
Lace bug damage is first noticed as yellow spots on the upper leaf surfaces and by the presence of shiny, black droplets of excrement on the undersides of damaged leaves of affected plants.
Cultural
- placing plants in appropriate landscape areaBiological
- use of predatorsChemical
- insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils