Apis dorsata

It looks very similar to the western honey bee but is larger.

The giant honey bee is found throughout the southern countries of Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In the west, its range begins in Pakistan and perhaps parts of southern Afghanistan.

The comb is always covered by a protective curtain of up to 100,000 worker bees.

Colonies can make seasonal long-distance migrations to follow sources of nectar and pollen.

Each colony builds a single, large comb out in the open, hanging under a tree branch or a cliff.

The comb is very large: one guide gives up to 150 cm long and 70 cm tall, while an FAO account describes combs as much as one metre wide.

Nests are usually built high up, from about 3 to 25 metres above the ground.

Colonies often nest close together: 10 to 20 nests in one tall tree is not unusual.

A migrating colony has been seen returning to the exact same branch six months later.

When threatened, the bees perform shimmering: a wave that ripples across the surface of the bee curtain in a fraction of a second.

A mass of defending workers can chase attackers over long distances, sometimes more than 100 metres.

Honey hunters traditionally harvest giant honey bee nests on a moonless night, so that fewer bees are flying.

The giant honey bee is the natural host of Tropilaelaps mites, which are parasites of honey bees.