In Venezuela I have seen many abandoned sets of combs on trees, left by
colonies that had absconded.  This would be on the plains (llanos) where
there is a very distinct wet/dry season climate.  Presumably the live
colonies I saw clustered on similar arboreal nests during the dry season
were africanized honey bees.  Sometimes a big tree would have a couple of
quiet, clustered colonies, and 3-4 abandoned nests just a few feet away.
 
Since there is variation in propensity for swarming in our bees, it would
suggest that the different races benefitted from more swarming or less
swarming, depending on the conditions in their habitats.  That is, before
they were moved all over and blended, resulting in the bees we are working
with, and the variation they show.
 
Question is, is absconding behavior - wholesale nest desertion - an extreme
of swarming tendency?  OR is it something entirely different?  It is
apparent in africanized colonies of A. m. (also I believe common with A.
cerana).   Do the African subspp. of A.m. (scutellata, capensis, etc.)
exhibit absconding behavior, and what conditions bring this about?
 
Regarding variation in swarming tendencies, I noticed when I first tried
the Buckfasts that they would keep on working during May/June with no
interruption, while their neighbors went silly building swarm cells.  The
difference was quite remarkable, even in 2nd year queens.  This may or not
be typical, but evidently it was a quality sought by Br. Adam, and so
perhaps other B'fast users noticed the same?