I just had a thought. Honey bees have evolved over millions of years and their primary nest sites are timber trees. So, it makes sense that over such a long period of evolution bees adapted themselves to living in timber nest sites with the ability to chew and amend as they need or like e.g. for more ventilation, an extra entry point for efficiency for mega colonies, etc.
Perhaps the line of genetics for this colony goes back to timber milling bees in the Ligurian Alps of Italy and they’re happily expressing their unique lineage 