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Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

In Western Europe the best known lacewing is the Common Green Lacewing. Born green, the colour changes to brown in autumn. The animal hibernates in this brown adult state and mates in spring. The larvae eat plant lice, the adults eat neactar from flowers as well. The Common Green Lacewing is a creature of the night. By day it only flies away when disturbed. Just like ant-lions lacewings are not very apt flyers. The larvae of the Common Green Lacewing do not camouflage themselves at all. In Western Europe there are about five species of green lacewings. These are all almost identical and onlty experts can tell them apart by just looking at them. They are easy to tell apart though. Each species hibernates in another stage: some being an egg, others as larva. Common Green Lacewing is the only one hibernating being adult. In biological farming the Common Green Lacewing is one of the most popular enemies of plant lice.