A set of 7 different real  Bees, Wasp and Hornet (Lesser Banded Tiger Hornet - Vespa affinis, Tropical Tiger Hornet - Vespa tropica, Asian Giant Hornet(Murder Hornet) - Vespa Mandarinia,  Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa sp., Golden Leg Tiger Hornet - Vespa velutina, Yellow Paper-Wasp - Polistes olivaceus, Black Shield Wasp - Vespa bicolor ) specimen encased in clear lucite material.

The specimens are crystal clear, indestructible and transparent. Safe, authentic and completely unbreakable product put real Bee, Wasp and Hornet right at your fingertips!

Anyone can safely explore the specimens from every angle.

It is clear enough for microscope observation.  

Length of the bee, wasp and hornet body are: 2.5, 2.8, 3.3, 2.4, 2.2, 1.8, 1.9 cm

Size of the lucite block is 9.5x9.5x2.7 cm (3.7x3.7x1.1 inch).

Each one comes with a cardboard box for easy storage.

Weight of the lucite block is 280 g and 340 g with packing box.

Upper row(left to right)
Lesser Banded Tiger Hornet - Vespa affinis

Tropical Tiger Hornet - Vespa tropica

Asian Giant Hornet(Murder Hornet) - Vespa Mandarinia 

Lower row(left to right)

Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa sp.

Golden Leg Tiger Hornet - Vespa velutina

Yellow Paper-Wasp - Polistes olivaceus

Black Shield Wasp - Vespa bicolor

It is an ideal learning aid for students and kids and also a very good collectible item for every body.

This is a handmade real animal specimen craft. Each one will be a bit different (specimen size, color and posture) even in the same production batch.
The pictures in the listing are just for reference as we are selling multiple pieces with same pictures.

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Tropical Tiger Hornet - Vespa tropica

Order: Hymenoptera  Family: Vespidae  Genus: Vespa  Species: V. tropica

This is a medium-sized to large species. Queens reach 30mm or more, males average 26mm and workers average 24 to 26mm. There is some geographical variance within this species. Generally, the second abdominal segment carries a large area of bright yellow, while the rest of the abdomen is black.

Vespa tropica is a widely distributed hornet in much of tropical Asia. It is rather secretive and tends to fly close to the cover of foliage. Individuals in Singapore often fly high in trees.

This species is known to attack the nests of Polistines (paper wasps) in order to obtain the larvae to feed their own larvae. It is said to be almost exclusive in choice of prey.

The nest of Vespa tropica is usually underground or in a tree hollow or similar enclosed space. Due to the location, the nest is seldom seen. If excavated, the nest usually appears rhomboid, with an open bottom (as opposed to the completely sealed nests of most aerial hornets). The nest envelope islaminar (comprising of distinct, broad individual layers) and very brittle.

Vespa tropica does not seem to be a defensive species. It is strange how reluctant these insects were to attack. And it must be noted that this species has been responsible for many fatal attacks, due to the location of its nests and its wide distribution.

It must be noted that this species, like Vespa affinis, appears more aggressive in tropical regions than sub-tropical areas.

Larger colony sizes and constant hot weather cause most wasps to be more defensive in tropical regions.

Lesser Banded Tiger Hornet - Vespa affinis

This is a small to medium-sized hornet, with queens reaching 30mm, males 26mm and workers being an average of 22 to 25mm. There are several geographical forms or subspecies; the ones found in South China are generally mainly black, with the first two abdominal segments being a deep yellow, forming a conspicuous band. The sides of the head and thorax show some reddish brown. On the other hand, specimens from Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore are fully black, without reddish brown markings, and the abdominal band is a brilliant orange.

This species is widespread throughout Asia. It can frequently be seen foraging close to the ground in grassy areas, forest and wasteland. This species seems to prey heavily on flies which can be pests. It can frequently be found on the beach, staying near rotting mussels which smell bad and attract flies. Initially, I assumed they were taking the mussel meat to feed their larvae, but it turned out that they were simply creeping into the mussel shells and hiding there to ambush the flies! They also love the nectar from flowers of the coconut tree, and often, after drinking their fill, conveniently grab a honeybee from a nearby flower and head for home. Besides these, they will also attack any small insect they can overpower. They will also collect meat from freshly dead insects.

The nest of Vespa affinis is usually high in a tree, although on occasion they build lower. It is generally elongated, and looks similar to the nest of Vespa velutina. However, it can be distinguished by having a more imbricate nest envelope (many individual overlapping circular layers of papering, as opposed to running vertically lengthwise), and the nest has a tough, durable appearance. It can often reach 60 cm in length in sub-tropical areas, and even larger in true tropical regions. Also, there is an interesting variation of nest shapes; in tropical areas, the top of the nest is very narrow but tapers out downwards, forming a "pear-shaped" or "drop-shaped" structure. Nests in subtropical regions are simply oval with a rounded top. In South China, this species has an average life cycle; the queens awake from hibernation in April, and the colony usually dies only in late November. In fully tropical areas, it seems present all the time. This species is known for multiple queen founding or even swarm founding (known in scientific terms as pleometrosis) in tropical regions, where several queens or multiple queens with a swarm of workers from the old colony start a new nest together.

Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa sp.

Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera. Their name comes from the fact that nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers (except those in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). Members of the related tribe Ceratinini are sometimes referred to as "small carpenter bees".

Description: Adult carpenter bees are large (3/4 to 1 inch long) and resemble bumble bees except that the abdomen is hairless and shiny black rather than being covered by patches of orange to yellow hair found on bumble bees.  The carpenter bees in the genus, Ceratina, are much smaller (1/4 inch) and are dark bluish-green, and make nests in plant stems.

Life Cycle: Adults spend the winter in nests constructed the previous year, and become active in April or May. After mating, females construct new nesting tunnels or use pre-existing tunnels. Nesting tunnels are about ½ inch wide and start on the end of wooden beams or at right angles to a surface for ½ to 1 inch before turning and following the wood grain. Tunnels are clean cut and may extend 6 to 8 inches. Females collect pollen and nectar to produce a dough-like mass called "bee bread." Eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the bee bread in their cells. Development varies with species and temperature, but can progress from egg to adult in a little over a month. There may be two or three generations per year. Continuous generations may occur in south Texas. Adults emerging in late summer or fall do not mate until spring but may gather and store pollen in their tunnels.

Habitat, Food Source(s), Damage: They prefer unfinished softwoods such as redwood, cypress, cedar and pine in structures for constructing nests. Carpenter bees do not consume wood like termites, but use wood merely to construct nests. While gathering nectar and pollen carpenter bees pollinate flowers.

Asian Giant Hornet (Murder Hornet) - Vespa Mandarinia

The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), the world's largest hornet, is a native of temperate and tropical Eastern Asia. Its body length is between 27 mm (1.1 inches) and 45 mm (1.8 inches), with a wingspan of about 76 mm (3 inches). Queens may reach a length of 55 mm (2.2 inches).

Anatomy

The head of the hornet is orange and quite wide in comparison to other hornet species. The compound eyes and ocelli are dark brown, and the antennae are dark brown with orange scapes. The clypeus (the shield-like plate on the front of the head) is orange and coarsely punctured; the posterior side of the clypeus has narrow, rounded lobes. The mandible is large and orange with a black tooth (inner biting surface).

The thorax and propodeum (the segment which forms the posterior part of the thorax) of the Asian giant hornet has a distinctive golden tint and a large scutellum (a shield-like scale on the thorax) that has a deeply-impressed medial line; the postscutellum (the plate behind the scutellum) bulges and overhangs the propodeum. The hornet's forelegs are orange with dark brown tarsi (the distal - furthest down - part of the leg); the midlegs and hindlegs are dark brown. Wings are a dark brownish-gray. The tegulae are brown. The gaster (the portion of the abdomen behind the thorax-abdomen connection) is dark brown with a white, powdery covering; with narrow yellow bands at the posterior margins of the tergite, the sixth segment is entirely yellow.

Geographic Distribution

It can be found in most of Asia but mostly in the mountains of Japan: southeastern regions of Asian Russia (Primorskii Krai), Korea, China, Japan, Indochina, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka.

Golden Leg Tiger Hornet - Vespa velutina

Order: Hymenoptera   Family: Vespidae   Genus: Vespa   Species: V. velutina

This is a small to medium-sized hornet. Queens reach 30mm in body length, males to 24mm and most workers average 15 - 20mm. There are several geographical forms or subspecies; the ones found in South China are generally mainly black, with a golden sheen on the abdomen. There is a thin yellow line at the end of the first abdominal segment. The third and fourth segments have increasing amounts of yellow-orange, while the fifth and sixth segments are dark brown. The head is black when viewed from above, but bright orange from a frontal view.

t can frequently be found in urban parks, wasteland, country parks and rural areas, and sometimes appears near urban areas.

This species appears to practice nest relocation. The queens usually start building low, in bushes and shrubs, or underground. When the colony grows, they then start building a new nest in the new location, almost always high in a tree. The queen and several workers move over, and the queen continues laying eggs in the new nest. The remaining larvae are raised to maturity by the workers in the old nest, and then gradually the old nest is abandoned. New nests usually appeared in the exact area, and were usually already quite large by the time they were noticeable. They are also a very resilient species which can rebuild the nest in a short space of time.

Black Shield Wasp - Vespa bicolor

This is the smallest species of Vespa, and certainly one of the smallest in the world (perhaps the smallest). It is easily recognizable due to its bright yellow colour; it has a black triangular patch on the central part of the thorax, and the abdomen sometimes displays black stripes due to expansion when the wasp is eating. Queens are far larger than workers and reach 25mm or more; males average 19 to 23mm, and the largest workers reach 22mm. Most workers I find are in the range of 17 to 19mm, and some only 15mm.

Vespa bicolor   is one of the most common social wasps, along with species of Parapolybia. It can be found in a wide range of environments, and frequently appears near human dwellings.

Vespa bicolor is not at all picky regarding its choice of prey. Workers of this species target small flying insects, and tend to hunt by site. They are also fond of human food, particularly meaty items, and frequently appear at barbecue sites. This is the only local hornet which seems to like collecting cooked meat. It can thus be a pest at barbecues and outdoor events. They apparently do not hurt people in their quest for food, and a small number can easily be chased away, but on occasions, when they appear in large numbers, it can be disastrous. They especially like the smell of barbequed meats and fish, as well as anything sweet. They also forage among garbage.

The nest of Vespa bicolor can be located in a wide variety of locations; under roofs, high in trees, under rocky ledges, in tree hollows and also frequently underground; more than 50% of nests have been built either in concealed locations or inside buildings. It is generally 25 to 35 cm in diameter, and almost always spherical; it may become slightly oval if the colony did exceptionally well. It can be distinguished by its shape and light, fine appearance, with numerous arc-shaped overlapping layers on the outer envelope. This species has an extremely long life cycle; the queens awake from hibernation as early as mid-March, and the colony usually dies only in late February or early March. Therefore, the period in between the death of old colonies and start of new ones is exceedingly short.

Vespa bicolor is in fact quite gentle; it is seldom hostile towards movement near the nest, and it is even possible to safely approach the nest to within a foot or two. However, when provoked, the workers will ferociously rise to the defense of the colony, although the defended radius appears relatively small. Despite its small size, it has quite a painful sting, and the vast numbers in a colony could result in severe consequences. This, coupled with the fact that it often nests near urban areas, makes it one of the more dangerous species, but still, conflict is easily avoidable. A nest will not go unnoticed for long due to the constant stream of workers returning and leaving (this species has the highest activity level near the nest of any Vespa), and therefore it is easy to avoid accidentally disturbing a nest. The queens also frequently hibernate in apartments, and sometimes fly in circles upon awaking, causing fear or annoyance. They should simply be left alone; with lights switched off and windows open, they quickly find their way out. Single queens will never attack.

Yellow Paper-Wasp - Polistes olivaceus

COMMON NAMES: Yellow Paper-Wasp, Yellow Oriental Paper-Wasp, Redbrown Paper-Wasp; German Feldwespe
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE India - e.Asia; EXOTIC EXOTIC e.Africa - Marquesas, Easter Is.; Hawai‘i
SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Poisonous sting - serious
KEY FEATURES: Large, 20mm TL. THORAX dorsal shield black with two long and wide longitudinal yellow stripes, expanded anteriorly, and yellow patches laterally; anteo-lateral plates yellow rimmed with dark centres; posterior plate orange-brown with posterior yellow bar; WAIST mainly yellow, with black lines; ABDOMEN anterior yellow, 2nd seg red yellow with fine black band, remainder yellow with black bands. WINGS yellow. LEGS yellow-brown (male - inner seg. with black).