Vespa tropica
[Greater Banded Hornet]
Classification: | Kingdom: Animalia | Phylum: Arthropoda | Class: Insecta | Order: Hymenoptera | Family: Vespidae | Genus: Vespa |
In November 2012, while on a trip to Seletar forested area, I spotted several of these hornets gathering on the forest floor that was covered with fallen leaves. Though I did not see the nest, I suspected that the location where the hornets gathered was the entrance to the underground nest. This hornet was known to build underground nest. They were very sensitive to movement and I was not able to get any closer. Hence, I could only snap a few pictures from a far distance.