| Species |
Chrysoperla — [rufilabris / carnea, confirm your supplier's species] |
| Format |
Non-incubated eggs, loose with a rice hull or similar carrier |
| Role |
Treatment, delayed. Eggs hatch after arrival, then the larvae feed |
| Sold by |
Count |
| Ships as |
Small pale eggs. Not yet hatched — nothing will be moving |
| Hatch window |
Variable. Days rather than hours, and slower than the incubated Lacewing Larvae product. Cold transit extends it |
| What does the work |
The larvae. Adults are pollen and nectar feeders and don't eat pests |
| Hunts |
Aphids above all. Larvae actively search foliage for them |
| Eats opportunistically |
Thrips larvae, spider mites, mealybugs, whitefly nymphs, scale crawlers, small caterpillars, insect eggs, psyllids. Taken on encounter |
| Won't touch |
Adult scale, armored scale, anything in the soil, adult whitefly |
| Larva size |
About 1mm on hatching, translucent — effectively invisible. They grow to 8mm by the final instar |
| Feeding window |
2–3 weeks of larval life, then pupation |
| Optimal temp |
70–85°F (21–29°C). Hatch and development both slow below 65°F |
| Humidity |
Moderate. No high-RH requirement |
| Establishes |
No. Adults emerge and disperse — this is a release, not a population |
| Deploy |
On arrival. Distribute eggs across foliage, or leave the container open in the canopy and let larvae exit as they hatch |
| Release timing |
Evening. Spread thin and wide — larvae are cannibalistic and will eat each other at high density |
| Reapply |
Every 7–14 days while pests are active |
| Refrigerate |
No |
| Compatible with |
Predatory mites, Stratiolaelaps scimitus, beneficial nematodes, Aphidius, Cryptolaemus, Diglyphus, springtails |
| Keep separate from |
Broad-spectrum insecticides. Ants — they defend aphid colonies and will attack larvae. Sticky cards will catch adults |
| Chemical interval |
One day after neem oil or insecticidal soap. Never with sulfur, at any dilution |
| Safe around |
Pets, children, plants |
