Help, what are they please??

[michelle80]

For a while now i have been noticing these moth type insects on a night, i never usually see them during the day but can almost guarantee that i will spot a few of them somewhere in the house on an evening.
They have a thin green body are around 1.5cm long and have clear wings that are longer than their body.
We never see them flying around they just sit on the ceiling or walls, bot there is usually a couple of them.
recently we have been seeing more of them and i just wondered what they are and where they come from (and possibly how to get rid of them)

We have a few plants around the house, some herbs in the kitchen and the odd pot plant but i'm pretty sure non of them are the cause.
We also have a 15 year old son who's bedroom is less than spotless, i half suspect the problem could be his bedroom but i'm not too sure as i try to give the room a good cleaning once a month as last summer his room was so bad (he kept bags of rubbish and dirty dishes) that he had flies in there, we only found out because my husband noticed there seemed to always be a fly or two around and when we went in his room to inspect we found there where lots of them in his room, no maggots though anywhere, which i didn't realise fly's could bread without maggots.
so i now try to keep the room at least rubbish free, although i do suspect there may be some in there at the moment.

Anyway if anyone could tell me what these moth type creatures are or how we could get rid of them i would be most grateful.

Kind regards
Michelle

[aeshna5]

Possibly lacewings? They are attracted to light, but are harmless + they + their larvae are beneficial to gardeners by feeding on aphids.

[loripo]

Green Lacewing - Chrysoperla carnea - Wildlife Photography

This is one (from the Gallery) - do they look like this?

[diggleken]

If they are Lacewings, dont kill them, just let them out, they are harmless, lovely, beautiful and beneficial creatures.
They often overwinter in loft type spaces, so they may be just appearing from there.
Cheers
Ken
Oh, and welcome to WAB!

[michelle80]

That is them, thanks so much.
I don't like to kill anything, if i can help it, I've been catching them with a glass and a piece of paper and putting them out side.

Thanks again.

[Monkey Orchid]

Hi, Michelle.

As folks have said already here, lacewings are very beneficial insects - like ladybirds and hoverflies they are wonderful garden helpers, feeding on greenfly and other aphids which attack our flowers and vegetables.

Also like ladybirds, they overwinter by hibernating, so often come into houses, garden sheds, garages etc to shelter from the worst of the cold. As conditions warm up they become more active, which is when you may start seeing them around and about. They won't harm you or your home; gently helping them outside is probably a good move (provided there isn't a severe frost outside when you evict them!).

If you are comfortable with getting closer, take a look at one before you release it with a hand lens or magnifying glass - they have the most amazing golden eyes!

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by michelle80

That is them, thanks so much.
I don't like to kill anything, if i can help it, I've been catching them with a glass and a piece of paper and putting them out side.

Thanks again.

Great!
A word of caution, in the middle of winter throwing them outside will kill them. They'll often stay still in one place (wall or ceiling) for months in mid-winter. When they start flying about in spring they'll certainly want to be outside!