If the bees had colonized inside the tree as in a hollow trunk, then after the bees were removed the tree should also been removed since the heartwood of the trunk is rotten and the tree is a liability during a storm. If in a major branch then if there is potential for property damage if it breaks it also should have been removed back to sound wood. Bees have a pretty good sense of smell and while nectar is generally their first preference, during the absence of of any nectar flows like winter, bees will rob honey. If they just showed up during the winter it's a pretty good bet they are robbers. Also if one swarm found that tree a suitable environment for colonization and there is access combined with the presence of honey and wax, chances are it will be recolonized by another swarm will likely recolonize it next year.
When I was a high school Ag student I maintained about a dozen hives to fulfill y AG project requirement. Fast forward about 2 decades +/- with 3 of my own kids in 4H is got back into it for several years. Truth be told, I find honey to be extremely distasteful. I think it is disgusting. The only honey I ever really liked and couldn't get enough of was when we were uncapping frames for extraction. I could never get enough of that cappings honey. Absolutely delightful. Eat the wax and the honey. It was the only honey that I could taste the predominant nectar flor when the bees were collecting
