Azalea Lace Bug vs Pellucid Hoverfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Azalea Lace Bug Pellucid Hoverfly
Scientific Name Stephanitis pyrioides Volucella pellucens
Order Hemiptera Diptera
Family Tingidae Syrphidae
Size 3-4 mm 14-17 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Herbivores Scavengers
Regions East Asia, North America, Europe Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Azalea Lace Bug

A tiny lace bug with beautifully ornate, net-veined wings that is a major pest of azaleas and rhododendrons. Native to East Asia, it has become established in North America and Europe. Feeding causes white stippling on leaves.

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Did You Know?

Females insert their eggs into leaf tissue and cover them with a dark varnish-like substance, making them nearly invisible to predators.

Pellucid Hoverfly

A large black hoverfly with a striking translucent white band across its abdomen. Its larvae are inquilines in the underground nests of social wasps.

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Did You Know?

Its translucent white abdominal band makes it look like it has a window in its body, unlike any other hoverfly.