World's largest bee species revealed after nearly 40 years

A Wallace's bee, as big as an adult's thumb, has been spotted in Indonesia for the first time in nearly 40 years. Its size may scare some people, but its appearance has become a topic of interest to researchers.

According to CNN, a team of researchers 'rediscovered' , then took the first photos and videos of Wallace's bee on January 25. The animal 'reappeared' after disappearing since 1981. The team of researchers - including photographer Clay Bolt, scientist Eli Wyman, behavioral ecologist Simon Robson and biologist Glenn Chilton - spent years studying the mysterious bee that resides in the humid forests of Indonesia for days before coming across one.

Wallace's giant bee image.

The rediscovery of the bee has raised hopes that the surrounding forest could be a haven for the rare creature, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies as 'vulnerable' due to mining and quarrying.

Before that, only two other researchers were lucky enough to have seen this species. The first was British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who discovered a giant bee in 1858 on the tropical island of Bacan, Indonesia. The second was entomologist Adam Messer, who discovered the species in 1981.

Meanwhile, the team recently tracked down termite nests in the forests of the remote North Moluccas Islands in Indonesia. They obtained information about the giant bees' behavior and habitat from Adam Messer's papers, and they surveyed satellite imagery of the island to familiarize themselves with the terrain. The scientists learned that Wallace's giant bees are commonly found in lowland forests and in termite nests in trees.

A member of the tour guide team climbed a tree to explore the "suspicious" beehive.

However, deforestation in Indonesia has increased in recent years to make way for agricultural development, narrowing the bees' natural habitat, making it difficult for humans to encounter them.

The expedition had to observe each nest for about half an hour before moving on to the next. Sometimes they thought they had encountered a giant bee, but mostly it was hornets.

On the final day of the five-day expedition, the group's guide and translator discovered a beehive in a tree about 1.6 metres above the ground. When Bolt climbed the tree to get a better look at the nest, he discovered a female Wallace giant bee. 'It was a memorable and amazing moment ,' said Bold. The group then captured the first images of this rare species of bee.

"We were breathless when we saw this giant flying machine of an insect that we thought was extinct. We found the real evidence right in front of us, in the wild," said Clay Bolt, a natural history photographer who took the first photos and videos of Wallace's bee.

"I was so excited to witness the beauty and enormous size of this species in the wild, hearing the whooshing sound of its giant wings as it passed over my head. It was unbelievable," he said.

Giant bees were discovered by American and Australian scientists on the remote Moluccas Islands in northeastern Indonesia.

The giant bee was discovered in the Northern Moluccas Islands, raising hopes that the region's dense forests may still provide a safe haven for one of the world's rarest and most sought-after insects. There are currently no laws in place to protect Wallace's bee from capture and trade.

The rare Wallace's bee is up to 4cm long and has a wingspan of up to 6cm, making it the largest bee in the world. The female nests in termite mounds, using its large jaws to collect tree sap to protect the nest from termites. Charles Darwin's co-developer of the theory of evolution described it as "a large black insect with a large beetle-like jaw".

In an effort to preserve many rare species, scientists are trying to find animals and plants that were thought to be "extinct" . Mr. Robin Moore, from the Global Wildlife Conservation Organization, said: "Finding and re-conserving this bee will open up a brighter future for this species" .