Vespa soror
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Vespa soror, also known as the southern giant hornet, is a species of hornet present in India, Northern Thailand, Laos, Northern Vietnam, and parts of South China, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan Island.
V. soror is one of the largest hornets, though smaller than the Asian giant hornet (V. mandarinia). The body lengths of the workers range from 26–35 mm, and those of queens range from 39–46 mm. Their nests are typically subterranean and found in forested areas.
They are aggressive predators and have been observed to attack the nests of honeybees, wasps, and smaller hornet species. They also prey on mantids, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, and small vertebrates such as geckos.
V. soror frequently attack bee colonies in groups, landing at and chewing on entrances, mass slaughtering adult defenders, and carrying away the carcasses and brood, which can destroy a colony. They exhibit behavior of rubbing their gasters on the hive and nearby vegetation during predation, and this may be a recruitment signal to attract other V. soror workers to attack. A defensive technique of Apis cerana bees that has been found to be widespread in Vietnam... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Hornet sighting in Guangzhou on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 441st most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giant Hornet in Guangzhou on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Giant Hornet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Southern Giant Hornet sightings, Guangzhou ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Tuen Mun (China, about 10%) and Hong Kong (China, about 10%).
Same genus: Vespa
The closest relatives of the Southern Giant Hornet that you can see in Guangzhou (genus Vespa, Hornets) are Yellow-Legged Hornet (about 10%), Black Shield Hornet (about 10%) and Lesser Banded Hornet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Giant Hornet is recorded against all the insects logged in Guangzhou (5 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.
