The value of the egg pedicel as a means of reducing larval cannibalism is assessed in several species of Chrysopidae which display three different patterns of egg deposition : Chrysoperla plorabunda (Fitch) and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) deposit their eggs singly, Chrysopa nigricornis Burmeister in groups and Mallada perfectus (Navás) in bundles. The pedicel reduced cannibalism significantly shortly after hatching in species with actively searching larvae when other food was not immediately available. Protection against a generalist egg parasitoid such as Trichogramma evanescens Westwood is evaluated for Ch. plorabunda, where destalked eggs were clearly preferred to eggs on an intact pedicel. On the other hand, a specialized parasitoid of neuropteran eggs, Telenomus acrobates Giard, preferred stalked eggs of Ch. carnea.