Lacebugs on rhododendron

Lacebugs can cause damage on rhododendrons. By mid-July much of the foliage is affected, with many leaves speckled from feeding damage. The damage may look similar to that of leafhoppers but differs as the leaf underside is covered with fecal spotting.

Lacebugs can also be a problem on indian plum, pyracantha, oak, , toyon, and coyote bush. Click on the links for further information about lacebugs on a variety of plants. These control recommendations are from the PNW Insect Handbook.

Rhododendron lace bug

Stephanitis rhododendri ID photos: Adult Damage Egg Immature

Pest description and crop damage: Overwinters in egg stage. Eggs are laid in the midrib on the underside of leaves. Eggs generally hatch in late May or early June but have hatched as early as mid-April. There is probably one generation a year in Oregon.

Leaves are yellow and stippled. Undersides of leaves are dirty.

Notes For more information, see page 424 in W.T. Johnson and H.H. Lyon (1991) Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs, 2nd ed. Cornell University Press. 560 pp.

University of Kentucky: Plant Bugs and Lacebugs

Maryland Cooperative Extension: Lacebugs

Morris Arboretum/Penn State Plant Clinic: Lacebugs

Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Lacebugs

Rutgers Cooperative Extension: Lacebugs: Lifecycle, Monitoring, and Pest Management in New Jersey
This PDF has some very nice information of various lacebugs, their biology and life cycles, and a variety of management strategies including resistant cultivars, biological, cultural, and chemical management.

Lacebug damage leaf underside on rhododendron

Photo: Rosetta, OSU

Upper surface of leaf - lacebug damage on rhododendron

Photo: Rosetta, OSU

Closeup of lacebugs on rhododendron

Photo: Rosetta, OSU

Lacebug eggs near veins under leaves

Photo: Rosetta, OSU

Closeup of lacebug eggs

Photo: Rosetta, OSU

Page last modified 4/18/06