>  Prior to the arrival of AHB, feral honey bee colonies did not occupy water meter boxes
>  What the heck does this mean?

It means a swarm in a meter box is most likely to be African, since European bees don't really like to nest in small holes in the ground. Plus, it is an indication that whatever feral bees are around are probably African. It's just an indicator, but a pretty reliable one. 

Africanized colonies will utilize smaller cavities
than European colonies (Schmidt & Hurley, 1995),
expanding the range of suitable nest sites to include
flower pots, water meter boxes, tires, cement blocks,
garbage cans, etc., thereby increasing the proximity of
AHB to humans. 

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 162: 315–327, 2017
(not the Onion)

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