Lacewing insect: Bizarre backyard discovery that looks like a ‘hair accessory’ leaves locals amazed – here’s what it really is
A homeowner was stunned to discover a strange creature clinging to the frame of her back door.
The woman shared photos of the creature found at her home in Sydney’s Drummoyne and asked: “Does anyone know what this is?”
Social media users were baffled by the insect with its beige oval particles and long spindly legs.
One thought the cluster looked like a “hair accessory,” while others said it looked like “pearls” or “rice.”
The ‘amazing’ find turned out to be the eggs of a native lacewing insect.
The woman shared photos of the creature found in her home in Drummoyne and asked: ‘Does anyone know what this is?’
The ‘amazing’ find turned out to be the eggs of a native lacewing insect
‘The U-shaped cluster of individual eggs, each on long, thread-like stems, is characteristic of the Blue-eyes Lacewing,’ Queensland Museum Scientist and Curator Dr Nicole Gunter said. Yahoo News.
‘From these eggs, ferocious-looking larvae with elongated mandibles will hatch and eventually transform into winged adults.’
Simon Hinkley of Museums Victoria said they are harmless to people and pets and can be “very useful” for living in your garden.
‘[They] are predatory in the adult and larval stages, and often feed on what we consider pest species, including aphids,” he added.
Lacewing insects are a common species on the eastern coast of Australia.