HYMENOPTERA :: Vespidae :: Vespinae :: Vespa

Vespa soror du Buysson, 1905

Biology

Prey on arthropods including other Hymenoptera, often colonies of Parapolybia indica by collective raids and V. affinis (Barthélémy 2012),  spiders of the genus Nephila. Nests subterranean, with envelope. Colonies medium to large size.

Sources

Barthélémy, C. A. Provisional Identification Guide to the Social Vespids of Hong Kong (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Available online: http://insectahk.com

Barthélémy C & Guénard B. 2025. An annotated and illustrated checklist of Hong Kong aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Apoid wasps; Pompilioidea; Scolioidea; Thynnoidea; Tiphioidea; Vespoidea; Chrysidoidea). Insecta Mundi 1115: 1–230.

Kumar G.P. & Srinivasan G. 2010. Taxonomic studies of hornet wasps (Hymenoptera : Vespidae) Vespa Linnaeus of India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India 110. 57–80. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v110/i2/2010/158949 

Smith-Pardo A.H.,  Carpenter, J. M. & Kimsey L. 2020. The diversity of hornets in the genus Vespa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae), their importance and interceptions in the United States. Insect Systematics and Diversity. 4(3): 2; 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa006