Green lacewing for brown soft scale
UC lists lacewings among the predators of scale insects, and the crawler is the mobile first-instar stage. Brown soft scale breeds all year indoors, so crawlers keep appearing — but no release trial of lacewings against this scale was found, and settled adults are unlikely prey. Check for moving crawlers with a lens before ordering, and treat this as a supplement rather than the main control.
Before you order
Larvae released onto aphid hot spots and other soft-bodied pests; the adults do not hunt and most fly off. How it works, how to tell it has established and the supplier list are on the full Chrysoperla carnea profile.
How many do I need?
Area and infestation level in; quantity, cost and a weekly schedule out. Open the calculator →
Pesticide sensitivity
Check anything applied in the last month before releasing. Check a product →
Other controls for brown soft scale
- Rhyzobius lophanthaePredatory lady beetle · 2–5 per infested plant, or 2–6 per 10 ft² (1 m²), every 1–2 weeks
- Soft scale parasitoid waspsParasitoid wasp — hard to buy · Wild — conserve; M. helvolus is rarely sold