Checkered Flower Beetle
Checkered Beetles can be found worldwide and are common in North America. They are long (.2-1 in), narrow, and covered with bristly hairs. They are usually brightly colored in a checkered pattern.
Some prey on insects found on or under tree bark, while others eat decomposing animal matter or prey on the larvae of bees, wasps, or even grasshoppers.
Checkered beetles can also be found on flowers where they eat pollen and flower-visiting insects. They prefer plants with a strong scent as they rely on smell to locate them. The beetles are usually found on plants with cup-like flowers (magnolia, water lily) or clusters of small flowers. In Western Canada, you can find checkered beetles on Goldenrod, Sunflower, and Yarrow. The plants need to be able to produce plenty of pollen for the beetles to eat with some to spare for them to distribute to other plants. The pollen grains stick to their bodies as they move from plant to plant.
Did you know? Beetles were around 200-300 million years before bees and some of the plants that they pollinate, such as magnolias, have an equally long history.
