However, there is some variation across its range and in Singapore and southeastern Asia, specimens are often completely black and larger in size, while in other regions such as Hong Kong, the head and flanks of the thorax are normally reddish.

[1][2] A third colour form is found in the Andamans and Nicobars, which has a reddish brown head and thorax and all the dorsal plates on each segment of the gastrum are orange except the first.

[3] Vespa tropica is distributed throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to the Philippines,[2] south to New Guinea,[4] New Britain and the Torres Strait Islands but it has not been recorded in mainland Australia.

A worker of V. tropica has been recorded as capturing and killing an individual of Vespa bicolor[1] and also raiding nests of other polister wasps such as Ropalidia marginata.

[9] The nests are usually within 3 metres (3 yd) above the ground in tree hollows or in subterranean cavities normally down to a depth of 20 centimetres (8 in) including a record of one found inside a dead log partly buried in the soil.