Pollinator of the Month: Ornate checkered beetle (Trichoda ornatus)

We previously featured the two-spotted lady beetle as a pollinator of the month since lady beetles benefit flowers through accidental pollination and through the pest control services they provide, however there are many species of beetles that pollinate flowers because they eat the pollen. There is a long history of beetles pollinating flowers as they existed before other common insect pollinators evolved. This includes soldier beetles, scarabs, long-horned beetles, sap beetles, and checkered beetles.

The ornate checkered beetle (Trichoda ornatus) is native to Canada. They are 5 to 15mm long, though they experience sexual dimorphism with the females being significantly longer. They are a metallic blue-black colour and a bright yellow to red blob-like pattern. They are also covered in long sparse hairs.

The genus name Trichodes refers to the hairs they are covered in and the word has Greek origins. The species name ornatus is Latin and refers to their decorated appearance.

They are found throughout Western North America, typically on flowers such as yarrow, asters, fleabane, daisies, buckwheats, cinquefoils, groundsels, or elderberries. This is because they lay their eggs on the flower heads. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae will attach to the legs of Hymenoptera, typically a leaf cutter bee or a potter wasp, who was pollinating the flower. The ornate checkered beetle is brought back to the nest of the Hymenoptera, where it enters a cell meant for the Hymenoptera larvae. Once the cell is sealed with food provisions and the Hymenoptera larvae, the beetle begins to feast. First eating the pollen and honey provisions then eating the Hymenoptera larvae. The ornate checkered beetle larvae eat 1 to 8 Hymenoptera larvae. They then pupate and overwinter in this state. When the adults emerge they feed on pollen from flowers.

Posted on January 23, 2024 06:43 PM by kiarra13