#2690 · 🦋 butterflies & moths
Hornet Moth
🇳🇱 Hoornaarvlinder ·Sesia apiformis
📍 Adm, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL
📍 3069 CC Rotterdam, Nederland
📍 1625 CR Hoorn, Nederland
📍 Waalwijk, NL-NB, NL
📍 Wageningen, Nederland
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Bernard Ruelle · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 2. © Philip Schaffer · CC BY 4.0
- 3. © Julien Bottinelli · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Julien Bottinelli · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Ben Sale · CC BY 4.0
- 6. Adm, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL:© maimarloes · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. 3069 CC Rotterdam, Nederland:© Paul G. Schrijvershof · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 8. 1625 CR Hoorn, Nederland:© wmazurel · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Waalwijk, NL-NB, NL:© Paul Cools · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Wageningen, Nederland:© André Nagelhout · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The hornet moth or hornet clearwing ( Sesia apiformis ) is a large moth native to Europe and the Middle East and has been introduced to North America. Its protective coloration is an example of Batesian mimicry, as its similarity to a hornet makes it unappealing to predators. The hornet moth has been linked to the large dieback of poplar trees across Europe because its larvae bore into the trunk of the tree before re-emerging as adults.
base stats
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
- Spotted 69 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 2,562 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759 (267 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Hornet Moth
- Nederlands
- Hoornaarvlinder
- scientific name
- Sesia apiformis
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Lepidoptera
- family
- Sesiidae
- sightings in NL
- 69
- sightings in Europe
- 2,185
- sightings worldwide
- 2,562
- GBIF records in NL
- 4,584
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1759 by Carl Alexander Clerck
relatives· Sesiidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 354819, Wikidata Q902404, GBIF 5141493, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.