Vespa bicolor
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Vespa bicolor, the black shield wasp, described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787, is a species of hornet which has been found to be the pollinator of an orchid, Dendrobium sinense (syn. Dendrobium christyanum), found only on the Chinese island of Hainan. Vespa bicolor also preys on honey bees, which it feeds to its larvae. The orchid produces a chemical that mimics a honey bee pheromone and attracts this predatory wasp.
Vespa bicolor is the most common species of large wasp in Hong Kong, along with members of the genus Parapolybia. It is found in a wide range of environments and can be found near human dwellings. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Shield Hornet sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 187 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 55th most-seen of the 1125 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and October–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Shield Hornet in Hong Kong on a given day, against about 10% in February–March and May–September, the lowest months. Those are among Hong Kong's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 280 mm in June.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Black Shield Hornet sightings, Hong Kong ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Zhuhai [Macau] (China, about 30%) and Tuen Mun (China, about 20%).
Same genus: Vespa
The closest relatives of the Black Shield Hornet that you can see in Hong Kong (genus Vespa, Hornets) are Yellow-Legged Hornet (about 20%), Lesser Banded Hornet (about 10%) and Southern Giant Hornet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Shield Hornet is recorded against all the insects logged in Hong Kong (187 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.
