A severe lace bug infestation may kill whole plants or weaken them to the point that fruit fails to develop. Life History - Eggplant lace bugs overwinter as adults within shriveled leaves or among other plant debris. Each female spends 4 to 5 days depositing 100 to 200 eggs in a roughly circular mass on the underside of a leaf. The female guards her eggs against predators. When the eggs hatch about 6 days later, the female continues to guard her offspring.
Nymphs feed and move as a colony, guided by the adult female.
Molting every other day, nymphs develop through five instars and become adults in about 10 days. Several days may elapse before adults of the new generation mate and deposit more eggs. Approximately 6 annual generations occur on eggplant followed by one or two additional generations on horsenettle. If lace bugs do become a problem, effective insecticides are available.