Green Lacewing Eggs
Eggs make you wait.
(And you might miss the hatch entirely.)
With eggs, you're watching and waiting for a hatch that happens fast — and if you blink, you might miss it. If you'd rather see exactly what you got and skip the waiting, the Coleomegilla maculata larvae arrive already hatched and hunting — flightless, visible, and working the moment you place them. Same soft-bodied-pest appetite, similar price, none of the watch-and-wait.
10% off your first 4 orders, then 15% off every order after.
Heads up—this is just an estimate. We only ship when the bugs are happy and ready to travel (Mon–Thurs). If a colony needs a beat to peak, or we're propagating a fresh batch, your order might hold up to a week. Treatment bottles jump the line when you've got an active infestation.
Sizing guide
How our sizes work
Sizes are set by how many plants you are treating — not by how much material is in the container.
Every size on every product page names its own coverage right there in the dropdown, so you never have to come here to find a number. Medium — Up to 25 Plants (2,500 Mites) tells you the tier and the count in one line. This page is for the part the dropdown cannot tell you: how to pick between two of them.
These are rough middles. The ladder runs smallest to largest within each product, so a Medium of one species covers more ground than a Medium of another — a nematode drench and a beetle release are not the same job. The count on the size you are looking at is always the real answer.
Pest pressure moves you up the ladder
Plant count is only half the sum. The other half is how much pest is already there. A closed tent holding fifteen plants with thrips on every growing tip needs a larger release than a bright room holding forty plants with a few gnats — the population you are outnumbering is bigger, and the enclosed space lets it rebound faster.
Coverage figures assume a typical active infestation. Adjust from there:
Under heavy pressure, two releases beat one large one. Take the larger size and plan a second release 7–14 days later, which catches the eggs that had not yet hatched the first time.
A few things work differently
A few products read in square feet rather than plants, because that is how they are applied — the outdoor and area-scale releases. Those are Sc and Hb nematodes, Coleomegilla, and the aphid specialists Ervi, Matricariae, and Aphidoletes. Same ladder, different unit.
Sf nematodes and Triple Blend size by plants and pots, like everything else. They are soil drenches for potted plants, so count your pots rather than your floor.
Slow-release sachets have no size. They are sold by the sachet, and you place one per plant or one per few plants depending on pressure. Sachets are a prevention tool — they hold a population in place before a problem starts. If something is already established, a bottle is the correct answer.
Sizing up is cheaper than sizing twice. Predators need enough prey to establish and enough of themselves to find it. Underdosing is the most common reason a release underperforms, and it usually costs more in the end than the larger size would have. When you are between two sizes, take the larger one.
Still not sure? Tell us what you are growing and what you are seeing, and we will size it for you.
Green Lacewing Eggs
At A Glance
Chrysoperla carnea (Green Lacewing) eggs are a cornerstone of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Known as the "Aphid Lion" in their larval stage, these generalist predators provide a slow-release biological control solution for a wide range of soft-bodied insects. By using eggs instead of larvae, you establish a "timed" defense system that hatches directly onto your plants, ensuring long-term protection in greenhouses, grow tents, and indoor gardens.
Field Notes — Green Lacewing Eggs
| Species | Chrysoperla sp., either rufilabris or carnea, depending on the batch |
| 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 |
Target Pests
Environmental Needs
Selection Guide
How to Use
How They're Shipped
Sprinkle, then watch them hatch.
How to deploy your lacewing eggs, and what to expect over the weeks that follow. Eggs hatch into voracious aphid-eating larvae once conditions are right — the routine is built around that.
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01
Open the box right away
Bring the package indoors as soon as it arrives. Don't leave it on a hot porch, in a cold mailbox, or in direct sun. Lacewing eggs are dormant in transit and tolerate normal handling well — there's no rush to deploy the moment they arrive.
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02
Hold or deploy within a few days
For best results, deploy within two to three days of arrival. If you need a little more time, store the unopened container in a cool spot (55–65°F is ideal) — this slows hatch development without harming the eggs. Don't refrigerate below 50°F and don't freeze.
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03
Sprinkle near pest activity
Eggs ship mixed into buckwheat hulls — you won't usually see the eggs themselves, you'll see the hulls. Sprinkle small pinches across affected plants, into leaf axils, along stems, and into the inner canopy where aphids cluster. Spread thinly across as many plants as possible. Newly hatched larvae are cannibals, so concentrating the mix in one spot means they hatch into competition with each other instead of food. Wide and thin is the rule.
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04
Give them time to hatch and feed
Eggs typically hatch within a week or two at room temperature, slower if it's cooler — exact timing varies with conditions, so don't worry if hatch runs long. Newly hatched larvae are tiny (about 1mm), pale brown, and alligator-shaped. They'll feed on aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and other soft-bodied pests for two to three weeks before pupating. If you're not seeing any drop in pest pressure several weeks after release, that's when to email us.
Something visibly wrong on arrival?
Crushed packaging, damp or moldy hulls, or carrier that smells sour — take a photo and email info@fgmnnursery.com within 24 hours of delivery with your order number. We'll replace or refund without question.
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FAQ
What is your Live Delivery Guarantee?
We guarantee that your beneficial insects will arrive healthy and ready to work. Because we are shipping live organisms, we use packaging and expedited shipping to ensure their safety. In the rare event that your order is compromised during transit, please take a photo of the package and contact us within 24 hours of delivery so we can make it right.
What exactly is Eggjuvant and how does it help?
How soon will I see results after releasing the eggs?
Can I use Lacewings alongside other beneficial insects?
Will the adult Lacewings stay in my garden and keep hunting?
What should I do if I can't release them immediately?
How many eggs do I need per 6" plant?
Help! I'm overwhelmed
Yeah, it's a lot the first time you're using predatory mites. Please email us at info@fgmnnursery.com and we'll be happy to help!
I don’t see anything moving in my bottle or sachet. Does that mean they’re dead?
Not at all! In fact, go ahead and deploy them.
Predatory mites are microscopic (often less than 0.5mm) and naturally blend into their carrier medium (bran or vermiculite).
- For Bottles: The mites often huddle in the center of the bottle for insulation during transit.
- For Sachets: These are "slow-release" nurseries. The mites stay tucked deep inside the breeding media and emerge one by one over 2–4 weeks. Seeing an "empty-looking" sachet or bottle is not proof of a loss; it is simply how they are packaged for maximum survival.
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