Living With Insect Silk

Insect use silk for a variety of purposes. Lacewings use silk when laying eggs to avoid egg predators such as ants. A female lacewing will place a droplet of silk on a leaf, then lay an egg in the droplet. Pulling the egg creates a silk filament that hardens within a few seconds. This creates a silk stalk that separates the egg from the leaf surface. Ants are unable to climb the stalk and the egg with its developing larva is protected.

Green Lacewing Egg on a Silk Stalk
Photo: NCSU