My question is regarding bees on my property. For the past 30 years or so I have had a colony of bee’s living behind a railroad tie retaining wall at the back of my property (see attached photos). Sometimes they don’t appear until the weather gets very hot and sometimes I think they've gone completely, but return the next year. Friends of mine that keep bees and have seen these bees are puzzled by the fact that the bees seem to be living in the space behind the railroad ties, in the dirt. These bees are very docile and we’ve never been stung. Can you shed any light on these bees as we want to protect them and keep them around?

1.      Do you think this is a normal bee colony?

2.      Do you think I should do anything special to protect them?  

Thanks

RBWoods