Wheast powder mixed with sugar and water is used at Beneficial Insectary to help mass-rear the lacewing. Lacewing adults can survive the winter in protected places but have a difficult time surviving cold winters. PREY Lacewing larvae feed on many different pest insects. When targeting caterpillars, lacewing used in conjunction with Trichogramma wasps can be very effective. Information about the use of Trichogramma is available from Beneficial Insectary, as are recommendations of pertinent scientific literature.
Monitoring is essential.
Initiating natural enemy releases when pest populations are high does not lend itself to successful augmentative biological control. The pest must be detected and releases begun when infestations are at a manageable level. Because every situation is different, numbers of lacewings required can vary significantly from site to site. It is therefore important to monitor the beneficial insect and pest populations. Generally, it is best to start with early release of a relatively low number of lacewings per acre or target planting.