Vespa crabro
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The European hornet (Vespa crabro) is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet (genus Vespa) found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. Vespines, such as V. crabro, are known for making intricate paper-like nests out of surrounding plant materials and other fibers. Unlike most other vespines, reproductive suppression involves worker policing instead of queen pheromone control, as was previously thought.
This species stings in response to being stepped on or grabbed, but generally avoids conflict. It is also defensive of its nest and can be aggressive around food sources. Care should be taken when they are found in these circumstances, as they may sting without warning. European hornets are largely carnivorous and hunt large insects such as beetles, wasps, large moths, dragonflies, and mantises. They also feed on fallen fruit and other sources of sugary food. Mutual predation between medium-sized hornets and the Asilidae (robber flies) is often reported.
The European hornet is a true hornet (genus Vespa), a group characterized by eusocial species. The genus is in the subfamily... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 10 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Hornet sighting in London on a given day, based on 285 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 115th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a European Hornet in London on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Hornet sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
18th of 53
Of the 53 cities where we can rate European Hornet sightings, London ranks 18th at about 10%. The best odds are in Turin (Italy, about 20%), Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 20%) and Kyiv (Ukraine, about 20%).
Same family: Vespidae
The closest relatives of the European Hornet that you can see in London (family Vespidae, Hornets, Paper Wasps, Potter Wasps, and Allies) are Common European Yellowjacket (about 20%), German Yellowjacket (about 10%) and Median Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Hornet is recorded against all the insects logged in London (285 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.
