Radio Transcript
September 7th, 2026
Tanner Collier

Hello, this is Tanner Collier, the Horticulture Agent with Burke County Cooperative Extension. Today, we are going to talk about “Lace Bugs in Eggplants.”

Here in Burke County and other surrounding counties, eggplants are a common vegetable that are grown in home gardens. When bearing fruit, each plant can produce four to eight eggplants at a time. It’s crucial to keep fruiting plants healthy but pests love feeding on eggplants and a common one that can be found are Eggplant Lace Bugs.

Eggplant Lace Bugs are small insects that can be found on the underside of eggplant leaves. When looking at the leaf, you can see the lace bugs crawling around but details will be hard to notice. Their bodies will be dark while their wings are translucent with a “lacey” look to them. A key indicator that an eggplant has lace bugs is the presence of black spots on the underside of the leaves.

A more noticeable sign of a lace bug infestation is going to be the feeding damage on the leaves. The affected leaves on the eggplant will start to change colors. Symptoms of lace bugs include; pale spots on the leaves, yellowing, browning, and the most common symptom being a cream white color.

You can control lace bugs on eggplants by using an ultra-fine horticultural oil or an insecticidal soap. When you apply these, make sure you coat both the upper and lower parts of the leaf.

This has been Tanner Collier, with Burke County Cooperative Extension. If you have any questions or want more information you can contact us at (828) 764-9480.