The scientific name, Stephanitis takeyai, hints at the Japanese origin of this lacebug. It was first recorded in the UK in 1999 but is evidently spreading rapidly. Yet another insect to arrive with the horticultural trade.
The LERC Wales Data Tool shows only one record for Wales, as Howard has mentioned, also in the 10km square ST17. I contacted Jim Flanagan, the national recorder for plantbugs & allies, who confirmed he didn't have any Welsh records on his database, though he did have 15 records from England.
I counted a 100 on a part of the small Pieris I have in the garden. If their distribution is uniform across the plant then there are likely to be 400-500 of the little beasties.
ReplyDeleteAnybody want some?