Adult beetles feed on leaves and can be pests of crops, while the larvae are parasitic on solitary bees.

The larvae climb to the top of a nearby blade of grass or a flower and remain immobile until they are able to attach to a passing bee with their mouthparts.

[2] Later stages of larvae growth of M. variegatus are not parasitic – they feed on the food stores gathered by the bees.

[4] In the early 19th century, this species was used in Germany as a fanciful cure for rabies (referred to as "hydrophobia" by William Elford Leach).

[5] The beetles were also hung up by the neck until dry, so that the oily secretion they gave off could be collected and administered.