From the magazine: No. 4 2016
Category: Specialist consultations
Yu.A. Masyuk, O.V. Abashkin, L.Ya. Kostina, Yu.P. Boyko, G.V. Grigoriev,
O.A. Starovoitova, D.V. Abrosimov, E.V. Oves, O.A. Aleksyutina, All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Farming
Many people have probably seen small, fragile insects flying from place to place with pronounced, iridescent golden eyes, for which they received the Russian name “lacewings.” Adult lacewings often fly into houses, crawl on glass or sit on walls. These insects belong to the order Neuroptera (Neuroptera), the family of lacewings = Chrysopidae.
About 6000 species of lacewings have been described in the world fauna. Adult insects (imago) reach from 6 to 180 mm in length. Their eyes are complex, well developed, and attract attention with their relatively large size and metallic luster. The mouth of lacewings is of a gnawing type. The wings are usually transparent, but in some southern species they are spotted. On the wings there are many longitudinal and transverse veins, forming a characteristic pattern in the form of a mesh, hence the Russian name - reticularis. In most species, the hind wings are equal in length to the front wings, sometimes shorter than the front wings, in these cases they are covered with a whitish coating. These species have few veins and a small body. The lacewing also includes the world-famous and almost worldwide distributed insect Antlion (Myrmeleon formicarius L.), which has strong jaws. Antlion larvae dig funnels in loose sand or soil and feed on the insects that roll into them, mainly ants (hence the name). There are lacewing larvae that live in water and breathe through gills. There they hunt small insects and their larvae.
Persistent lacewings fold their pearlescent or iridescent wings in a roof-like manner. There are light yellow, green and brownish colored species.
Lacewings are a threat to many types of pests in vegetable gardens, fields, orchards and forests. These insects prey mainly on aphids, the main carriers of viral potato diseases, and spider mites, which cause great damage to garden plants. In addition, they eat the eggs and newborn larvae of many pests, including the Colorado potato beetle. They also eat newly born caterpillars of small and large species of butterflies, including meadow and corn moths; fly larvae and newly moulted beetles that have not yet matured after molting, herbivorous bugs, sawflies and thrips. Adult lacewings additionally feed on nectar and pollen, pollinating flowering plants
Lacewings were one of the first to be bred en masse to protect greenhouse plants from pests, mainly against aphids. Methods for their mass reproduction in laboratory and industrial conditions have been developed. For breeding, natural populations of the pearl lacewing = Chrysopus pearl species were used. (Chrysopa perla Steph.), Chinese lacewing = Chrysopa sinica Tj, Beautiful lacewing = Taiwanese lacewing = Chrysopa formosa Br, Common lacewing = Chrysopa vulgaris = Chrysopa carnea Steph. = Chrysopa vulgaria Schn .) and Lacewing seven-spotted = Chrysopus septeipunctata. (Chrysopa septempunctata Wesm.).
Cultivated insects are released into greenhouses and fields to combat aphids and other small pests.
The vast majority of lacewing species live in the tropics. In our country, the most common are representatives of the family Chrysopidae with the only genus Chrysopidae - about 10 species in total. These are beautiful small (body length from 6 to 25 mm, wingspan from 19 to 50 mm) flying insects with a weak fluttering flight.
They can be found everywhere. They are active mainly at dusk and at night, flying towards the light. Female lacewings lay oval, light green eggs, located singly or in groups on relatively high (much longer than natural plant hairs) thin silky stems, usually on the underside of leaves, mainly in areas where aphids are spread, where their larvae begin hunting immediately after hatching ( not to be confused with aphid eggs, which do not sit on the stems, but lie closely to the underside of the leaf). Females live for about two months and lay up to 800 eggs each. The larvae are elongated fusiform with long sickle-shaped jaws. On the back of the larvae of many species there is a pattern consisting of dark stripes and spots. In some species, the back is covered with a loose shield made from the skins of insects they have eaten or from pieces of dry leaves, plant bark and other plant debris. The larvae develop in three instars, after which they pupate openly on plants, under the bark of trees, or in the surface layers of the soil. Lacewings go to winter at the prepupa stage in silky, round, dense, silver-white or light gray cocoons. Sometimes adult insects overwinter.
Individual species of lacewings differ in size, the color of the wings and their veins, the pubescence of the wings, and the pattern on the head and body. There are difficult-to-distinguish species that can only be identified by studying their biology, behavior, preferred ecological habitats and the range of prey they consume.
The following types of lacewings are found in our latitudes:
Abbreviation lacewing = Chrysopa abbreviata Curt. There is a dark spot on the inside of the antennae. There is a dark stripe on the back of the head. Individual cross-veins of the wings are black.
Altai lacewing = Chrysopa altaica Holz. The sutures of the thorax and the first segments of the abdomen are darker and stand out against the background of the body. There is a dark spot at the base of the front legs. In appearance it differs little from the Lacewing commata. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Lacewing astarte = Chrysopa astarta Holz. There are dark red spots on the head. Antennae on the side of the crown with a reddish tint. The cross-veins of the wings are dark along the edges.
Lacewing Valkyrie = Chrysopa walker McL. Distributed everywhere, except in the Far North, Far East and Central Asian republics. The cross-veins are black only at the edges, some of them are green.
Lacewing viridana = Chrysopa viridana Schn. Distributed in the steppe zone of Russia and in the republics of Central Asia. On the head there are spots in the form of brownish longitudinal stripes.
Gold-eyed gummels = Chrysopa hummei Tjed. The sutures of the thorax and the first segments of the abdomen are darker and stand out against the background of the body. There is a dark spot at the base of the front legs.
Dasiptera lacewing = Chrysopa dasyptera McL. Distributed in the republics of Transcaucasia and the Caucasus, the northern and central regions of Kazakhstan, and the republics of Central Asia. The crown is one color. The wings are densely covered with hairs. Adult insects are predatory.
Dubitan lacewing = Chrysopa dubitans McL. The casing (forehead) is one-color. There are two dark oval spots on the crown. The claws of the tarsi are greatly expanded at the base. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons. Found on vegetable crops.
Pearl lacewing = Chrysopa perla Steph. Distributed everywhere except the Central Asian republics. In the Far East it lives in the Khabarovsk Territory. The cross-veins on the wings are completely black; individual veins are black only at the base. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Green lacewing = Chrysopa phyllochroma Wesm. There are black spots on the head. The antennae are solid green. The cross-veins of the wings are not all dark. Comb (gonocrista) with large teeth. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Lacewing intimate = Chrysopa intima MсL. The pattern on the head resembles the outline of the letter X. Males have dark stripes on the sides on the pronotum. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen and are plant pollinators and also predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons
Chinese lacewing = Chrysopus chinica/Chrysopa sinica Tj. The pronotum in males has dark stripes on the sides. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen.
Beautiful lacewing = Taiwanese lacewing = Chrysopa Formosa Br. Distributed in forest-steppe, non-chernozem, steppe zones; in the north-east; Ural; in Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia; in the Far East; in the republics of Transcaucasia and the Caucasus; in the republics of Central Asia. The back of the head and antennae are the same color. The wing veins are black. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons. Found on vegetables and melons.
Lacewing commata = Chrysopa commata Kiss et Uj. The sutures of the thorax and the first segments of the abdomen are darker and stand out against the background of the body. There is a dark spot at the base of the front legs. In appearance it differs little from the Altai lacewing. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Lacewing magnicuda = Chrysopa magnicauda Tj. The comb has small teeth. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Lacewing nigricostata = Chrysopa nigricostata Br. Distributed in the forest-steppe zone, non-chernozem zone, steppe zone of Russia and in the republics of Central Asia. There are small oval spots on the head. The antennae are orange.
Lacewing = Chrysopa vulgaris = Chrysopa carnea/Chrysopa carnea Steph. = Chrysopa vulgaria Schn. Distributed everywhere except Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The head is one color. The clypeus and cheeks are bordered with black, often with a reddish tint, hairs. The transverse stepped veins of the wings are green. The pronotum of males is uniformly colored on the sides. Adult insects overwinter. The larvae are predatory. Adults feed on nectar and pollen of plants and are pollinators. Adult insects overwinter.
Seven-spotted lacewing = Chrysopus septempunktata. /Chrysopa septempunctata Wesm. Distributed everywhere. There are seven spots on the head, which distinguishes it from other species of lacewing and predetermined its name. The spots between the antennae and under the antennae are hardly noticeable and can blend into the background. The body is one color. Larger than other species of this genus. The larvae are predatory. Adult insects feed on nectar and pollen (additional nutrition) and are plant pollinators, mainly predators. Prepupae overwinter in soft cocoons.
Sogdinika lacewing = Chrysopa sogdinica McL. Distributed in the republics of Central Asia. There are four small spots on the crown. The space between the antennae is one color. The species has been little studied.
Since 2014, the number of lacewings in the Moscow region has increased significantly. This coincided with a simultaneous increase in the number of aphids, especially peach aphids, which, due to climate warming, came out of greenhouses and spread widely in the fields. Jerusalem artichoke plants are especially attractive to lacewings, where many small insects are concentrated on the tops and flowers, serving as food for them.
Lacewings are very sensitive to the action of pesticides, so you should resort to this method of control only in extreme cases of an avalanche-like invasion of pests.