Scolia hirta
In 3 days ~20% 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 Berlin on a given day, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 116th most-seen of the 1065 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scolia hirta in Berlin on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. That is one of Berlin's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 30 mm in April.
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.
7th of 14
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Scolia hirta sightings, Berlin ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Vienna (Austria, about 20%), Athens (Greece, about 10%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Scolia hirta that you can see in Berlin (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Common Carder Bumble Bee (about 30%), European Hornet (about 20%) and German Yellowjacket (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 Berlin (75 verified sightings), 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.
