Bee-Eating Beetle

Bee-Eating Beetle

Trichodes apiarius

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Biebrza National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

5 Verified sightings at Biebrza National Park From 2019 to 2026
256 In all 14 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Bee-Eating Beetle

Trichodes apiarius is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae. It is found in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in North Africa. The adult is a hairy, small beetle with shining blue or black head and scutellum. The elongated elytra (wing cases) are bright red with black bands. This species can easily be distinguished from Trichodes alvearius for the black terminal band reaching the apex of the elytra. Adults grow up to 9–16 millimetres (0.35–0.63 in) and can be encountered from May through June on the flowers, mainly Apiaceae, feeding on the pollen. They also actively hunt small insects.

The larvae 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. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~30%
2 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
3 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
4 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
5 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~20%
6 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
7 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
9 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
10 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
11 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
12 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
13 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
14 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
2 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
4 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
6 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
7 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
8 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
9 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
10 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bee-Eating Beetle in Biebrza National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bee-Eating Beetle sighting in Biebrza National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 79th most-seen of the 97 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bee-Eating Beetle in Biebrza National Park?

June

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bee-Eating Beetle in Biebrza National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and July–October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Bee-Eating Beetle?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bee-Eating Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the Bee-Eating Beetle live in Biebrza National Park?

Same order: Coleoptera

The closest relatives of the Bee-Eating Beetle that you can see in Biebrza National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are European Rose Chafer (about 30%), Lesser Stag Beetle (about 30%) and Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Bee-Eating Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bee-Eating Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Biebrza National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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