Lacebugs on Oemleria

Lacebugs can cause extensive damage on Oemleria, Indian plum. The lace bug found on Oemleria in Oregon has been identified as Corythucha nr. mollicula Osborne & Drake (LaBonte, J. Oregon Department of Agriculture, pers. comm.). By mid-July much of the foliage is affected, many leaves nearly white from damaged cells. The damage may look similar to that of thrips though generally the fecal spotting is much larger.

Lacebugs can also be a problem on azalea, pyracantha, oak, rhododendron (more images available including new shots of the eggs), toyon, and coyote bush.

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 hatch in late May or early June. 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.

 

Original version: <10 July 2009)

Last update <20 July 2017>

Author: R.L. Rosetta, Extension Nursery Integrated Pest Management, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University/NWREC.