Delta Flower Scarab

How to identify it

• Adults have a bright yellow triangular mark on the plate behind the head and yellow markings that resemble a stinging wasp's.^[1][2]
• A very similar, extremely rare Florida species, T. floridana, has a different-shaped yellow mark on the same plate.^[1]

Where it lives

Common across the southeastern United States from Florida to eastern Texas, recorded north to New Jersey and west to Kansas.^[1][2]

US map: public records from 21 states since 1990 (GBIF). View the map

Biology and life cycle

Larvae live in rotting wood; adults visit flowers in prairies and other open areas and often mate on them.^[2]

Damage and signs

• Adults eat pollen and nectar of carrot, daisy and mint family flowers such as goldenrod, coneflower, rattlesnake master and Queen Anne's lace; they are not pests.^[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets; it only resembles a wasp.^[2]

Control

Prevention

No control is needed.^[1][2]

Related profiles

• Bumble Flower Beetle
• Dark Flower Scarab
• Figeater Beetle

Common questions

What is the small beetle with a yellow triangle on my flowers?

A delta flower scarab.^[1][2]

Does it sting?

No; it only mimics a wasp.^[2]

Where do the larvae live?

In rotting wood.^[2]

Sources

1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Delta Flower Beetle, Trigonopeltastes delta (EENY-704/IN1214).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1214 (accessed 2026-10-15)
2. Missouri Department of Conservation, “Delta Flower Scarab (Field Guide).” mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/delta-flower-scarab (accessed 2026-10-15)
3. iNaturalist, “Trigonopeltastes delta taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84027 (accessed 2026-10-06)