ABSTRACT
The honey bee's spread and apparently permanent colonization of tropical America may be likened to a vast experiment. The arrival of Africanized honey bees in the neotropics has proffered a research tool and another reason for studying tropical nature before it is altered beyond recognition. The combination of exposed nest habits, and opportunistic use of nearly any shelter afforded by an artificial substrate, contribute to making the Africanized honey bee highly adapted as a rapid colonizer of new territory. The dynamics of colony density and population regulation in invading Africanized honey bees are poorly known, especially in light of population changes during and after initial colonization. As a "foraging machine" the Africanized honey bee has a larger colony and hence more foragers, as well as a more sophisticated communication system, than any of its neotropical bee competitors. Moreover, the Africanized honey bee colonies are mobile and have large foraging areas.
