Lacewing Larvae for Aphids | Chrysoperla carnea | Biological Control

The properly voracious aphid predator — green lacewing larvae (Chrysoperla carnea) that genuinely earn their "aphid lion" nickname. A single larva consumes 300–600 aphids during its 2–3 week feeding life, working its way through the colonies that ordinary sprays only partially knock back. Properly the biological alternative for serious aphid problems on roses, sweet peas, brassicas, fruit trees, indoor plants, greenhouses, polytunnels and anywhere else aphids have established themselves.

Despatched directly from Ladybird Plant Care as a live biological product. Properly fast turnaround — order by 10am Monday for delivery later in the same week.

You can read the full instructions for this product here.

What they are

Lacewing larvae are the immature stage of the common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) — one of the most effective generalist predators known to gardening. The larvae look properly like tiny alligators — beige-brown bodies about 8mm long with dark markings, curved sickle-shaped jaws, and a properly determined hunting posture. Each larva spends 14–21 days actively hunting aphids and other soft-bodied prey before pupating into the lovely adult lacewing.

Worth knowing: the larvae do the pest control work, not the adults. Adult lacewings feed only on pollen, nectar and honeydew — properly useful as pollinators but not as predators. The product you receive is therefore the larval stage specifically — the part of the lifecycle that does the work.

How they hunt

Lacewing larvae are properly aggressive hunters. They crawl across plant surfaces, locate prey by movement and chemical cues, and grasp them with curved mandibles. The larva injects a salivary fluid that digests the prey's body contents, then sucks out the liquefied interior. The whole consumption takes a few minutes per aphid; the larva can take prey larger than itself if needed.

A single larva consumes around 300–400 aphids on average during full development, with the most voracious third-instar larvae managing up to 120 aphids in 24 hours under optimal conditions. Total lifetime consumption can exceed 600 aphids when prey is abundant.

What they control

• Aphids — all species, all life stages; properly the primary target
• Mealybugs — properly effective, particularly on houseplants and conservatory plants
• Thrips — both larvae and eggs
• Whitefly — eggs and pupae particularly
• Spider mites — all active stages
• Lepidopteran eggs — small caterpillars and moth eggs
• Scale insect crawlers — the young mobile stage
• Other small soft-bodied pests on foliage

Properly a generalist predator. Strong on aphids primarily, but useful against the entire suite of sap-sucking foliar pests.

What they don't control

• Adult moths or butterflies — flying adults aren't accessible
• Hard-bodied insects — beetles, weevil adults
• Soil-dwelling pests — larvae work on foliage. For soil pests use Hypoaspis Mites or nematodes
• Slugs and snails — wrong tool entirely
• Adult lacewings don't predate — the predation period is the 2–3 week larval stage only
• Eggs on stalks are sometimes ignored (some pest eggs on stalks evade the larvae)

How to use them

• Apply immediately on arrival — live biological product at its best fresh
• Brief storage if needed — cool (10–15°C) for up to a day or two if essential delay
• Distribute across infested plants — sprinkle directly onto aphid-affected foliage, or apply via paper/card placement on leaves
• Apply at dusk or in cool conditions — avoid direct sunlight at application
• Target the infested plants directly — don't scatter randomly; place where the aphids are
• Don't apply during heavy rain — can dislodge larvae before they establish
• Repeat applications often beneficial — 2–3 releases at 7–10 day intervals for substantial infestations
• Indoor and outdoor — equally effective in greenhouses, polytunnels, conservatories, indoor plants, outdoor borders, vegetable patches

Application rates

Rough guidance from professional usage:

• Preventative use: 5 larvae per plant or per square metre of growing area
• Light infestation: 10 larvae per plant or per square metre
• Heavy infestation: 10–20 larvae per plant; consider multiple releases
• Greenhouse / polytunnel: distribute evenly across growing area
• Container plants: 5–10 larvae per pot for heavy infestation

Choosing pack size

• 500 larvae (£28.00) — covers approximately 50–100 plants preventatively, or 25–50 plants under active infestation. Properly suitable for: a domestic garden with aphid issues on roses or fruit trees, a small greenhouse, a houseplant collection with mealybug problems. £56 per 1,000 larvae
• 1000 larvae (£40.00) — covers approximately 100–200 plants preventatively. Properly suitable for: a larger garden, a serious greenhouse / polytunnel operation, an allotment with multiple aphid-prone crops, or a small commercial growing space. £40 per 1,000 larvae — 28.6% better value per larva than the smaller pack

For most home gardeners with one or two aphid hotspots, the 500-pack is properly the right starting point. For substantial spring aphid outbreaks across the garden, the 1000-pack pays back.

Optimal conditions

• Temperature: 15–30°C optimal; larvae slow significantly below 15°C
• Humidity: 60–80% ideal; performs across wider range
• Light: any conditions; larvae are active day and night
• Plants: works on virtually all foliage; particularly good on roses, sweet peas, brassicas, fruit trees, peppers, tomatoes, indoor plants
• Compatible with most other biological controls and chemical-free approaches

Integrated pest management

Lacewing larvae work properly well alongside other biological controls in the Ladybird Plant Care range:

• For severe aphid infestations — combine Lacewing Larvae with Horticultural Soap at first knock-back, then release larvae to mop up survivors and prevent re-establishment
• For mixed pest problems — Lacewing Larvae handle most foliar pests; Hypoaspis Mites handle soil-stage pests; nematodes handle larger soil pests
• For fungus gnat issues — use Hypoaspis specifically; Lacewing Larvae don't target fungus gnats well
• For brassica caterpillars — use InsectoNet Plastic Free Netting for physical exclusion alongside Lacewing Larvae for any aphids that get under the net

Attracting future lacewings to the garden

The released larvae will eventually pupate and emerge as adult lacewings. The adults don't contribute to pest control directly, but they do lay eggs that hatch into the next generation of larvae — properly the start of an ongoing predator population if your garden suits them. To attract and retain adults:

• Plant nectar-rich flowers — particularly umbelliferous plants (dill, fennel, coriander), composite flowers (cosmos, asters), and yarrow. See our plants for pollinators range
• Provide overwintering habitat — let some seedheads stand through winter; lacewings overwinter as adults in sheltered spots
• Avoid broad-spectrum chemical sprays — obvious but worth saying; chemicals kill the lacewings you've paid to release

Specifications

• Species: Chrysoperla carnea (Common green lacewing)
• Brand: Ladybird Plant Care
• Type: Live larval-stage biological predator
• Larval stage: 2–3 weeks active hunting before pupation
• Consumption: 300–600 aphids per larva across full development
• Pack sizes: 500 larvae (£28) or 1000 larvae (£40)
• Best value: 1000-pack at £40 per 1,000 larvae (28.6% better than 500-pack)
• Dispatch: Order by 10am Monday for delivery later the same week
• Storage: Apply on arrival; brief hold at 10–15°C if delayed
• Safety: Safe for humans, pets, plants and pollinators; doesn't bite humans
• Edible crop use: Suitable; no harvest interval restriction

About Ladybird Plant Care

Ladybird Plant Care are UK specialists in biological and organic pest control, supplying live nematodes, predatory insects, lacewing larvae and naturally-derived sprays direct to gardeners. We're proud to stock their range as one of our trusted collective partners. Live products dispatch directly at peak freshness — properly the right approach for biological materials.

A small thought: there's something properly satisfying about releasing a packet of tiny predators onto a rose bush full of aphids and watching nature do the work over the next two weeks. No sprays, no chemicals, no daily checking. Just the larvae quietly working their way through the colonies until the aphids are gone. The kind of pest control that gets on with itself — and properly the way our gardens used to manage themselves before we started trying to do everything with bottles.