Egg Spiral

Spiral Pattern Eggs

I live here in savannah georgia and ive had this "galaxy on a leaf" laid on the outside of my window in the middle of a somewhat bad winter this year and unlike stumbling upon on it outside and not knowing when it appeared I very well know that the bug to lay this did it over night and in the cold, probably on the outside of my window because of the heat pouring out of my poorly sealed windows. I have a picture ill be posting soon even tho its almost 3 months after I discovered it. You can tell none survived the bugs desperate efforts to find a home in those conditions and all is still well intact except for a few decayed eggs that blew away in our overly windy city. I see no pictures like mine nor do I see any information or pictures of the bug itself. Your post being so old and not living to far from me, has to know more than I do?

… Its Drew, 12 March, 2014 - 1:46pm

Wow! I just took a picture of

Wow! I just took a picture of the same thing about a month or so ago and posted it on FB and IG to see if anyone could help identify it. I called it the galaxy on my leaf. Lol. I'm so glad i finally found you to tell me what in world "invaded" my leaf. Lol.

Are these insect predominant in a certain region? Should i expect to see more?
Are there any cons for having them in my plants?

… reinatuya, 24 October, 2013 - 4:50am

For details about the egg spirals...

Click the gray "info" and "data" tabs above the photo, and for information about green lacewings in general, click Green Lacewings (Chrysopidae) in the links between the gray tabs and the photo. But the short answer is that we have only found these egg spirals in the southeastern US, and since they prey on aphids and other "pests," they are only a benefit to your plants.

… Charley Eiseman, 24 October, 2013 - 8:03am

egg spiral

I have been looking for this discription. The really odd thing to me is that the spiral was on my front door, a metal outside door. This seems an unlikly place for insect eggs.

… joyceriedl, 13 October, 2012 - 8:23pm

Moved

Moved from Ceraeochrysa smithi.

… Charley Eiseman, 15 September, 2011 - 5:50pm

Moved

Moved from Eggs.

… Charley Eiseman, 29 August, 2011 - 7:01pm

So that's what they are. I s

So that's what they are. I saw a spiral of eggs like this on a window in Dunedin, FL.

… Ilona L., 28 July, 2011 - 1:39pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Harsi S. Parker, 29 August, 2009 - 7:50pm

Wow, it's Lacewing Egghenge!

That is a fascinating image. Nicely done.

Little green eggs on long stalks are good news for gardens - lacewing larvae eat aphids, leafhoppers, sawfly larvae, caterpillars...every thing that moves, even if it's bigger than they are. When I see their eggs on public foliage (=weeds, sidewalk trees) I take them home for my garden!

… Abigail Parker, 1 August, 2009 - 7:17pm

Very likely Ceraeochrysa smithi

In For Love of Insects, Thomas Eisner writes about this species, which he studied in Florida. It lays its eggs in a spiral, and each stalk has beadlike droplets of an oily ant-repellant fluid along its length--these are visible in your photos.

Please edit the date, assuming you didn't take these on 12/31/69.

… Charley Eiseman, 1 August, 2009 - 9:40am

Sorry about the date, it should be 8.31.09

The image EXIF is correct at 8/31/09, (this morning). I haven't been putting dates into posts because I assumed the date would be picked up from the image data as it is on some other sites I frequent.

I'll try to remember to fill that in by hand.

… Brian Grant, 1 August, 2009 - 8:27pm

Lacewing eggs

I have seen them in a row but never in a spiral. Interesting pattern.

… Beatriz Moisset, 1 August, 2009 - 9:03am

Eggs

Brian, These are distinctively Lacewing eggs. If you have mealy bugs on your tree, they will make a fine meal for the larvae. I don't have any way of knowing which species of Lacewing. Also the pattern is interesting. I've never seen them deposited quite that way. Thanks for a good photo.

… Gerald K. Watson, 1 August, 2009 - 8:58am