#3633 · 🐝 bees, wasps & ants

Oriental Hornet

🇳🇱 Oriëntaalse hoornaar ·Vespa orientalis

🐝 Bees, wasps & ants 📍 in Europe, not in NL

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Dr. Nasser Halaweh · CC BY 4.0
2. © Dr. Nasser Halaweh · CC BY 4.0
3. © Dr. Nasser Halaweh · CC BY 4.0
4. © Jacky Judas · CC BY 4.0
5. © carnifex · CC BY 4.0
6. © Daniele Naturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. İzmir, Türkiye:© no rights reserved · CC0
8. 80046 San Giorgio a Cremano NA, Italia:© no rights reserved · CC0
9. La Medialuna 1310 El carmen, 2900000 Codegua, O'Higgins, Chile:© Raul ortega lagos · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. Kazımdirik, Bornova/İzmir, Türkiye:© 0959kedi · CC BY 4.0

what is it?

The Oriental hornet , Vespa orientalis , is a social insect of the Vespidae family. It can be found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, the island of Madagascar, Israel and parts of Southern Europe. Oriental hornets have also been found in a few isolated locations such as Mexico due to human introduction. The Oriental hornet lives in seasonal colonies consisting of caste system dominated by a queen. The hornet builds its nests underground and communicates using sound vibrations....

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 7,017iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
7,017 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named in 1771 (255 years ago).