Apis dorsata
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Apis dorsata, the rock bee or giant honey bee, is a honey bee of South and Southeast Asia. They are typically around 17–20 mm (0.7–0.8 in) long and nests are mainly built in exposed places far off the ground, like on tree limbs, under cliff overhangs, and under buildings. These social bees are known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed. Though the species is not domesticated, indigenous peoples have traditionally used it as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as honey hunting.
Apis dorsata belongs to the subgenus Megapis in the family Apidae. This honeybee is most closely related to A. mellifera (the western honey bee), A. cerana, and A. florea. There are a few hypotheses as to when A. dorsata diverged from A. florea and A. cerana, as it is unclear which divergence occurred first. Currently, the consensus hypothesis provides a family tree that claims that A. dorsata diverged from both A. cerana and A. florea at the same time. Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Honey Bee sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 175 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 376 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Honey Bee in Chennai on a given day, against about 10% in February and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Honey Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
19th of 45
Of the 45 cities where we can rate Giant Honey Bee sightings, Chennai ranks 19th at about 30%. The best odds are in Jammu (India, about 50%), Prayagraj (India, about 50%) and Agra (India, about 50%).
Same genus: Apis
The closest relatives of the Giant Honey Bee that you can see in Chennai (genus Apis, Honey Bees) are Red Dwarf Honey Bee (about 20%) and Asian Honey Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Honey Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Chennai (175 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.
