California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site

Ornate Checkered Beetle - Trichodes ornatus

Adult Ornate Checkered Beetles primarily eat pollen from Milkweeds, Mariposa Lilies and plants in the Sunflower family. They will eat soft bodied insects if they are available. Adult Ornate Checkered Beetles are active Spring into Summer. As larvae they live in the nests of leaf cutting bees. This pair of Ornate Checkered Beetles are feeding on Asclepias fascicularis, Narrow Leaf Milkweed.

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetles on Asclepias fascicularis, Narrow Leaf Milkweed. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetles checking out a finger. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.