LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Are killer bees coming to Kansas?

University of Kansas bee expert Chip Taylor expects them to, at some point.

Taylor recently returned from Oklahoma, where the aggressive bees have arrived. But Taylor says when the bees move into Kansas, their numbers will be small and confined to counties in the south-central part of the state.

Taylor says global warming could be a factor in the northward migration of Africanized bees. As winters continue to get warmer in Kansas, the bees could make their way across Kansas and into Nebraska.

Last week, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved more than 10 million dollars to research killer bees as well as colony collapse disorder. Declines in bee colonies has been killing off honeybees nationwide, threatening the pollination of nuts, fruits and other crops.

(J. Schafer, Kansas Public Radio)