According to the publication, the AHB is bringing change and posing challenges for beekeepers on both sides of the Rio Grande River. Whereas on the Mexican side, bees are kept primarily for honey production, in Texas it's for pollination. For either enterprise, the beekeeper must adapt. Those producing honey have found locations increasingly limited while others moving bees for pollination must cope with increased potential for stinging and absconding. Most AHB problems appear rooted in defensive behavior.
Nests pose significant problems in urban areas.
In addition, over time, almost all managed colonies in Mexico have become Africanized to some degree. At the beekeeping congress in Uruguay, however, there were reports that selection coupled with instrumental insemination was having an impact on managed bee populations in that country. In the six years since its introduction, Texas beekeepers have also seen the feral AHB population become more Africanized, according to the ARS publication. They are having to deal increasingly with intrusion into their apiaries. AHB in Arizona continues to be problematic.