If you hate bees and their scary stingers, you better stop reading this now. But if you’re a fan of the insect, you might be interested in knowing that after 38 years, the world’s biggest bee species was found to be very much alive after previously being deemed extinct.

The bee, known as Wallace’s Giant Bee or even the “king of bees,” was found by a group of people who specifically went to seek it out. They traveled to Indonesia in January 2019, and when they discovered it, were able to snap several photos and videos of it. The last time Wallace’s Giant Bee was seen was in 1981, so it was a pretty exciting discovery.

“I simply couldn’t believe it,” said natural history and conservation photographer Clay Bolt after the discovery. “My goal was to be the first person to make a photo of a living Wallace’s Giant Bee and I had achieved that goal.”

According to Bolt, there have been at least five attempts to rediscover Wallace’s Giant Bee, so this was a huge victory for the team. But with all those previous attempts, how did they even manage to find it?

“It was a lot of walking around the forest in 90-degree heat and the highest possible humidity looking at termite nests and chasing after bees,” explained Simon Robson, a biologist at the University of Sydney in Australia and a member of the expedition.

It only took about five days until they spotted the king of bees in all its glory. “It’s just ridiculously large and so exciting,” said Dr. Robson.

So how big are we talking? Pretty big. Wallace’s Giant Bee has a wingspan of 2.5 inches and a body the same size as a human’s thumb. It’s by far the biggest bee in the world.

This isn’t the first time an expedition has led to the discovery of formerly deemed extinct insects. The initiative was partly funded by Global Wildlife Conservation, a Texas nonprofit organization with the goal of finding 25 “lost” species.

“All around the world, across habitats, across taxa and for all kinds of reasons, once-discovered species have fallen off our radar,” the organization states. “These lost species are animals or plants that have gone unseen for years or decades and are feared possibly extinct. In order to save these species, we first need to find them.”

Besides Wallace’s Giant Bee, the organization has also found Jackson’s Climbing Salamander, the Fernandina Galapagos Tortoise, the Velvet Pitcher Plant and the Silver-Backed Chevrotain. Just a few more interesting-sounding species to find, including Pink-Headed Duck, the Fernandina Galápagos Tortoise and the Namdapha Flying Squirrel. Learn more about the list of “lost” species here.

Back to Wallace’s Giant Bee: We know you’re just dying to see how large the big guy is. To see live footage of the bee and hear more about the discovery, check out the video below.

What would you do if you ever saw a bee this large? Are you scared of bees, or would you be excited to spot one of this nature?