While Pinnacles has the highest known bee diversity in the world, I'm guessing these are typical European honey bees (Apis mellifera) that were introduced to North America close to 400 years ago. I took the pictures of the bees collecting water from the same standing spot as the nest, and I'm assuming the bees are from the nest. This is the second time I've seen comb on the outside of a tree trunk, as opposed to a swarm. I also found several online pictures of North American hives hanging from branches. However, I usually think of feral hives as being in cavities, like tree holes and chimneys. I wonder why honey bees pick different locations for their hives. Perhaps the nest is not an Apis mellifera feral hive? I had a difficult time finding any information about wild honey bee nests and their locations since most search results ended with beekeeping info. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations site and trusty Wikipedia discuss honey bee nest locations.
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