HOW DO AHB COLONIES SPREAD?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN KILLER BEES ENTER A NEW TERRITORY?

The bees continue to pervade suitable habitats by swarming, the process by which colonies replicate. The original queen leaves the hive with about half the population of the nest to begin a new colony. A new queen is reared by the remaining bees in the original nest. Through swarming, the population density (# colonies/sq.mile) in an area increases until limited by natural disasters (e.g., fire) or density-dependent environmental factors, such as food, water, and certain communicable diseases. Resource competition with other bee species or colonies may also limit the number of nests in a given area.