Apis dorsata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Apis dorsata, the rock bee or giant honey bee, is a honey bee of South and Southeast Asia. They are typically around 17–20 mm (0.7–0.8 in) long and nests are mainly built in exposed places far off the ground, like on tree limbs, under cliff overhangs, and under buildings. These social bees are known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed. Though the species is not domesticated, indigenous peoples have traditionally used it as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as honey hunting.
Apis dorsata belongs to the subgenus Megapis in the family Apidae. This honeybee is most closely related to A. mellifera (the western honey bee), A. cerana, and A. florea. There are a few hypotheses as to when A. dorsata diverged from A. florea and A. cerana, as it is unclear which divergence occurred first. Currently, the consensus hypothesis provides a family tree that claims that A. dorsata diverged from both A. cerana and A. florea at the same time. Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Honey Bee sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 57 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Honey Bee in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May, July–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Honey Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
28th of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Giant Honey Bee sightings, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 28th at about 10%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 40%), Sundarbans National Park (India, about 40%) and Bandhavgarh National Park (India, about 30%).
Same family: Apidae
The closest relatives of the Giant Honey Bee that you can see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Broad-Handed Carpenter Bee (about 20%) and Collared Carpenter Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Honey Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
