Bug FAQEggplant lace bug
Gargaphia solani · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Tingidae
Source: Wikipedia
It feeds on members of the Solanaceae family, especially tomato, potatoes and eggplant. It can produce seven or eight generations each year, with development from egg to adult taking about 20 days.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It mainly feeds on Solanaceae plants, including tomato, potato and eggplant, as well as some other genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Ladybird adults and larvae, such as Hippodamia convergens and Megilla maculata, prey on it by flipping it onto its back before eating. Other predatory bugs like Podisus maculiventris and Orius insidiosus also feed on its nymphs.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its diet consists of solanaceous crops such as tomato, potatoes and eggplant, plus other plants like Althara, Cassia, cotton and sage.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The bug passes through five instar stages.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mating has been observed in November.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants does the eggplant lace bug damage?
It feeds on solanaceous crops such as tomato, potato and eggplant, as well as some other plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does it have per year?
It can produce seven or eight generations annually.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adults present?
Adults are found year-round, sometimes hibernating in grass clumps, under bark, or on mullein leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
What predators eat the eggplant lace bug?
Ladybird adults and larvae, as well as predatory bugs like Podisus maculiventris and Orius insidiosus, prey on it.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tingidae)
Eastern Sycamore Lace BugCorythucha ciliataCan bite
Oak lace bugCorythucha arcuataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Walnut Lace BugCorythucha juglandis
Andromeda Lace BugStephanitis takeyaiDamages trees, gardens or crops
Western Sycamore Lace BugCorythucha confraternaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Buckeye Lace BugCorythucha aesculiSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargaphia_solani
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.