Trichodes apiarius

Today in our garden with @outlinez we found this colorful checkered beetle - Trichodes apiarius, feeding on the pollen of the flowering leeks. His entire surface was hairy, and his head was shiny. He had settled comfortably on the plant and spent the whole day there.

I found a few more beetles of the same species on the flowering Helichrysum as well. How attractively its red coloring contrasted against the yellow colors of the herb.

From Wikipedia I learn about Trichodes apiarius that:

"At the larval stage, these beetles are parasites of bees (hence the name “apiarius”), as the adults lay the eggs in the nests of solitary bees (Osmia and Megachile species) or in hives of honey bees, eating larvae and nymphs of their victims."

All photos are taken with: