Scolia hirta
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Scolia hirta is a species of wasp in the subfamily Scoliinae of the family Scoliidae. This species is present in most of mediterranean and central Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, in the Near East, and in North Africa.
The adults grow up to 10–25 millimetres (0.39–0.98 in) long, the body is completely black, with two glossy yellow stripes on the abdomen. The wings have a smoky-dark color, with blue reflexes. Antennae of males - composed of 13 segments - are longer than in females (12 segments ). Moreover males have three large spines at the tip of their abdomen.
This species is rather similar to Scolia sexmaculata, which had two or three yellow spots instead of two yellow stripes. They can be encountered from July through September feeding on flowers, with a preference for flowers appearing cyan or blue to wasp's eyes and for composite flowers or aggregated inflorescences.
Among the most visited families there are Caprifoliaceae (Knautia arvensis), Asteraceae (Jacobaea vulgaris, Solidago canadensis, Solidago virgaurea, Centaurea scabiosa, Echinops spp.), Lamiaceae (Thymus serpyllum, Pycnanthemum spp.), Crassulaceae and Liliaceae... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Scolia hirta sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 275th most-seen of the 996 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scolia hirta in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to May, the lowest months. That is one of Cévennes National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 260 mm in October.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scolia hirta sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Scolia hirta sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Scolia hirta that you can see in Cévennes National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Hairy Carpenter Ant (about 20%), Violet Carpenter Bee (about 20%) and Mediterranean Acrobat Ant (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scolia hirta is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (25 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.
