Attack of the Dust Bunnies!

You might recall I showed you some photos of Brown Lacewing Larvae (family Hemerobiidae). Well, apparently the larvae of Green Lacewings (family Chrysopidae) aren't comfortable crawling around "naked," so they pile bits of "trash" onto their bodies, transforming themselves into balls of lint with legs! Lacking a strong exoskeleton, they do this for protection against predators such as ladybugs. But unlike the dust bunnies under your couch, these fuzzy little guys are beneficial to your garden, eating aphids, mites, the eggs of leafhoppers, and much more. A great example of natural pest management. Some will even use the corpses of bugs they've eaten to complete their disguise!

In the photos below, look closely for the larva's legs and mandibles underneath the "trash." It's cool to see what materials they use.

Specimen #1:

Looks like parts of old exoskeletons...

Specimen #2:

I'm pretty sure that's a bug part sticking out there. At first I thought it was an eye.

Looks like this guy's using some fluff from mealybug larvae.

He kept running to the end of the leaf and back again.

Specimen #3:

One of my favorites: an ingenious costume constructed of crepe myrtle bark and moss. When the larva sits still, a predator will probably think it's part of the tree!

References:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/72302
http://www.dpughphoto.com/neuroptera
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-13_green_lacewing.htm
http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth09.html
http://www.thebeneficialinsectco.com/green-lacewing-larvae.htm
http://www.cirrusimage.com/neuroptera_green_lacewing.htm
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/green_lacewing.htm
http://www.gardeninsects.com/greenLacewings.asp