Description

• The azalea lace bug, native to Japan, has thin, lacy outgrowths on its thorax and has delicate, lacelike forewings. The insect is small and cream-colored. When observed under a hand lens, the adult has a characteristic hood. The eggs are white ovals laid along leaf midribs or margins, and the nymph is black and spiny.
  
  

Damage

• Lace bug damage is greater in sunny areas than in shade. Nymphs and adults feed on inner leaf tissue and remove most of the chlorophyll-containing tissues near the upper epidermis, causing the leaf surface to become silvery, chlorotic, stippled or bleached. Severely damaged leaves may dry and fall off.
  
  

Control

• Azaleas should be monitored weekly during warm weather. Initial damage may not be easily observed, so it is important to examine the undersides of leaves with a hand lens. Maintaining healthy plants with proper cultural practices will help to reduce damage. Insecticidal soap, neem oil, horticultural oil and most insecticides can be applied in spring for good control. It is important to spray the undersides of leaves.