I don't know if you have seen the data on worldwide honey bee densities, but the work you cited reflects the very low end of density:
> We found that feral honey bee colonies regularly inhabit tree cavities in near-natural beech forests at densities of at least 0.11–0.14 colonies/km2
The range of densities reported worldwide is from .1 per km2 on up to 12-17 per km2 in South Africa and 15-17 in southern Mexico, with much higher numbers in Australia. In 1990 Roger Morse reported 2.3 colonies per square kilometer in a small city in NY state. But I heartily concur with their statement that:
> discovering a honey bee nest by chance and without using specific searching techniques is hence very unlikely
PLB
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