Trichodes ornatus
Pest description and damage As other clerid beetles, the ornate checkered beetle is a parasite of bees. It is about 0.3 to 0.5 inch long and usually has a checkered black and yellow or red patterning. Female beetles lay eggs on common yarrow (Achillea millefolium), buckwheat (Eriogonum spp), or soap bushes (Ceanothus spp.). The first instar attaches onto adult bees visiting flowers and hitches a ride to the bee nest. Beetle larvae attack bee eggs, consume pollen provisions, and causes damage to cells as it tunnels through bee nest.
Management-maintenance
Infestations are associated with high concentrations are weeds surrounding bee nests. Clearing weeds from nest areas decrease the probability of beetle larvae infestations, although beetle infestations are typically no longer a major concern.