# Green Lacewings



## Magpye (Jan 26, 2007)

Anyone tried these as a feeder food for anything?

From what I gather (and I've only looked for about 30 mins), they're basically a larger equivalent of the fruit fly. They are consumed in the wild in North America by swifts (fecal examination results), and so should be safe? Can't find any info re nutritional value.

Why bother? Well, in a humid terrarium with live plants they will help control aphid and mite populations, like the fruit fly I can't imagine they would bite the amphibians/reptiles like crickets might, and you can buy about 1000 of the critters in larval stage in a bottle from some garden centres.

Any thoughts?


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*lace wings..*

ive fed lace wings to baby chameleons and small beadies in the past, no problems, they all ate them and enjoyed them.. the babies are still alive now as are the beardies.....i find them on a willow tree near my pond in the spring and summer months.. easy to catch etc.... also have you tried spiders as a food? most lizards love a juicy spider!!!! lol... take care and if you do get hold of a place that supplies them let me know, im always after any more different live food.. i feed mine, silkies, crickets,locusts,flies,spids,earthworms,meal worms, waxies and the odd butterfly that flops into my garden..... i aint tried roaches....


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## Magpye (Jan 26, 2007)

I tried roaches with my beardies and juvenile monitor. They all loved them. I eventually stopped using them though because its a pain in the **** managing the roach population. Haven't tried spiders but I will if I can find them the right size for my Pygmy chams.

The lacewing idea I think will work, but the weather needs to warm up before I try it. If I get an aphid infested potted plant and put one of those entomology net things over it after putting some lacewing larvae on the plant, after a couple of weeks I should have lots of lacewings contained within the net. Then it just a question of getting them out of the net and into a container - could use a pooter I guess?


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