A group of scientists and insect enthusiasts have rediscovered the world's largest bee while on an expedition on a remote Indonesian island.

The giant bee has only ever been documented twice before: when it was first discovered by naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859, and then again in 1981 meaning it has not been seen for 38 years.

The bee was found in a termite mound after the group searched for five days in a tropical forest.