Philanthus triangulum
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 3 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Algiers | 🇩🇿 Algeria | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Beewolf sighting in Warsaw on a given day, based on 137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 580 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a European Beewolf in Warsaw on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months. That is one of Warsaw's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
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.
Yes
Of the 31 cities where we can rate European Beewolf sightings, Warsaw has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 20%) and Hamburg (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Crabronidae
The closest relatives of the European Beewolf that you can see in Warsaw (family Crabronidae, Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies) are Ornate-Tailed Digger Wasp (about 10%) and Bembecinus tridens (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Beewolf is recorded against all the insects logged in Warsaw (137 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.
