Common Name: Ornate Checkered Beetle Latin Name:
Trichodes ornatus Say 1823
(R.
Bercha, det.)
Length: 8 - 10 mm
Range: Alberta
Habitat:
Various
Time of year seen: Mid-summer
(Additional Sightings)
Diet: Pollen and small insects
Other: The Ornate Checkered Beetle is found in British Columbia,
Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (Bousquet, Y. (Ed.),
1991). Adult beetles are found on a range of flowers where they consume
pollen and other small insects including small flower beetles. The beetle’s
larva are parasites of leaf cutter bee and vespid wasp nests. Eggs are laid
on flower heads, where the larva hatch and wait to attach to a visiting bee
or wasp. The larva then rides back to the host nest where they consume the
eggs and larva. After about 1 to 4 years the larva pupate and emerge as
adults. Adult beetles are hairy and have an elongate body that is green or
dark blue with yellow or red patches. (Evans, A.V. & Hogue J. N., 2006) |