Vespa discolor

Genus Vespa, also known as hornets, contains 22 species all over the world and eight (V. mandarinia is newly discovered) can be found in Hong Kong so far. They will construct their own colony comprises of a queen, males and workers. The nesting sites vary from one species to another and also intraspecifically.

Vespa discolor is one of the most common hornets in Hong Kong. This species is un-aggresive and will not attempt to attack deliberately unless too much disturbance is caused to their nests. It is a generalist hunter and scavenger which prey on any kind of insects which they are able to kill (A wandering glider Pantala flavescens is killed in the picture). The nesting period of V. discolor is quite long which reaches 9 months from colony initiation to disintegration.