> So those who claim that it can't occur are indeed wrong.

Not sure what you mean by that. No thinking person would make such a claim. But before we go much further, it seems that a definition may be in order. This one, from Kristin Baum, strikes me as fair.

> Feral populations consist of domesticated bees that, at some time in the past, originated (via swarming or absconding) from managed colonies. 

she goes on:
>With recent losses of managed honey bee colonies, there is increasing interest in feral honey bee colonies and their potential contribution to pollination services in agricultural, natural, and urban settings.  Across the southern USA, feral honey bee populations are predominantly Africanized. 

>  Prior to the arrival of AHB, feral honey bee colonies did not occupy water meter boxes, and this change in nest site selection behavior has resulted in the widespread exploitation of an ubiquitous urban feature (water meter boxes) that was not previously used. 

© 2017 The Netherlands Entomological Society Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 162: 315–327, 2017 315

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