European Beewolf

European Beewolf

Philanthus triangulum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tel Aviv

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

8 Verified sightings at Tel Aviv
83 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the European Beewolf

The European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum), also known as the bee-killer wasp or the bee-eating philanthus (from the now obsolete synonym Philanthus apivorus), is a solitary wasp that lives in the Western Palearctic and Afrotropics. Although the adults of the species are herbivores (feeding on nectar and pollen), the species derives its name from the behaviour of the inseminated females, who hunt western honey bees. The female places several of its paralysed prey together with an egg in a small underground chamber, to serve as food for the wasp larvae. All members of the genus Philanthus hunt various species of bees, but P. triangulum is apparently the only one that specialises in western honey bees.

The European beewolf is a species of solitary wasp with bold yellow and black markings on the abdomen, males have trident-shaped markings between their bluish eyes while the larger females have a reddish stripe behind the eyes and a pale face.

The European beewolf is found mainly in areas of open sandy ground in areas such as lowland heathland and coastal dunes. They are infrequently found in clay areas and in Britain have been recorded digging burrows... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
3 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
4 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
2 Kuwait City 🇰🇼 Kuwait
~20%
3 Hamburg 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
4 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
5 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~10%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~10%
8 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
9 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
10 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a European Beewolf in Tel Aviv?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Beewolf sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 172nd most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a European Beewolf in Tel Aviv?

April–June and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Beewolf in Tel Aviv on a given day, against under 5% in July–September and November–March, the lowest months. Those are among Tel Aviv's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 90 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a European Beewolf?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Beewolf sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Tel Aviv the best place to see a European Beewolf?

18th of 31

Of the 31 cities where we can rate European Beewolf sightings, Tel Aviv ranks 18th at about 10%. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, about 20%), Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 20%) and Hamburg (Germany, about 10%).

Where does the European Beewolf sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the European Beewolf is recorded against all the insects logged in Tel Aviv (8 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.

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