The swarm, found on Friday, is believed to have been associated with the nest found in an avocado tree on a Green Hill cane farm on Tuesday.

The property owner who reported the nest on his farm told Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland officers that he was alerted to the nest because of swarming activity.

The nest was destroyed on Wednesday and removed on Thursday.

Surveillance field officer Martin Bell was in the process of contacting neighbouring property owners on Friday when one advised him of a swarm on a tree 100m from the nest.

The Biosecurity Queensland team, led by regional project officer Ian Rodger, attended the site immediately and destroyed the swarm in a swift operation.

Biosecurity Queensland teams from the DPI&F have stepped up surveillance and would be establishing sugar-feeding stations throughout the Green Hill and East Trinity area.

The nest found on Tuesday this week was the first detected since November last year and the eighth since the initial incursion in the Cairns industrial suburb of Portsmith in May 2007.

Samples will be tested to determine whether these recent detections are related to the 2007 incursion rather than a new incursion.

"We still can't say with certainty that they are related, however we are working on the basis that these detections are a continuation of last year's incursion," Mr Rodger said.

"We are especially grateful to the property owners who have played a key role in our response in the past week."

If anybody in the Green Hill and Gordonvale area sees a suspicious bee nest, please contact the DPI&F urgently on 13 25 23.

Biosecurity Queensland surveillance manager Wim de Jong said Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) were smaller than the European honey bee (Apis mellifora) and had a different flight pattern.

"Apis cerana had stronger colouring markings and posed a significant threat to the Australian bee industry," Mr de Jong said.