Vespa affinis | Lesser Banded Hornet
Vespa affinis, commonly known as the lesser banded hornet, is a common hornet species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. I captured a hornet sawing through a twig, and it was collecting the bark fibers to build a nest in its colony.
In Aceh—where I live—Vespa affinis is commonly called gumoto. This species tends to behave aggressively and has a powerful sting; notably, as in a colony, it should not be provoked.
I had a horror experience as a child. I remember one time we were adventuring into the woods to look for wild mangosteen fruit. Then we came across a large wild mangosteen tree (Sandoricum koetjape) bearing abundant fruit.
We gave up climbing the tree when we saw a barrel-sized hornet's nest hanging from its canopy. Then, one of us threw the nest with a pole, just for fun.
It didn't take long for the swarm of hornets to spill out and give us a relentless chase. We ran as fast as we could to a nearby river and jumped in. We were lucky to escape those savages.
