Holometabolous insects

Hmm, I had found me some unhatched lacewing eggs, upon which I kept a very close eye. This ere eye hoped to catch the hatching and to not miss the young ones as I had with the the last series of eggs. (check prev posts). Here's what an adult looks like.

Pretty faerielike huh? Well they're a little like dragonflies but to the good biologist me what sets them apart is the fact that some of them have ears....on their wings!

Well, so for some reason I was expecting little baby lacewings to pop out of these eggs... small versions of big momma/daddy you know? Quite a surprise when I got these hairy creatures instead!

Well, vive holometabolous insects....these lacewing larvae as I had conveniently forgotten are well known for their voracious appetites for many small creatures, mosquitoes, their larvae, aphids, etc. They are often used in biological pest control programmes for this reason, lacewing eggs are actually sold to you so you can 'spread them throughout your fields or gardens' to acheive maximum pest control.

The larvae eventually pupate and voila you have an adult...and no I havent found a lacewing pupa just yet !