Pictures?

Gee, I thought I saw a good picture in the written description. Please and thank you for the vision of bees lazing in the compost on a sunny afternoon. latersquared

I can't see it myself honey bees in a compost pile....do yo?

The bees were almost for sure a species of Bombus, bumble bees. They love this environment if the composting, decay isn't getting too hot. Infact, they prefer it cool.
If it wasn't Bombus, and not a bee, then look at a species of ground-nesting Vespids such as Vespula vulgaris, a species of Yellow Jackets.
Either way, they will not return next year but if another queen chooses that spot, then that's just a fluke, or luck.

I had the same situation. I had a composte pile with fig pots on the top of the pile (because of space limitation) and pots by its side. The bees were coming in and going out through one side of the pile in one location almost like clock work, one or two every two or three seconds.
I had problem getting to a ripe fig because as soon as they notice my presence (somehow) many will come out and buzz around me to make me leave.
Iy is -30C now and I am not sure if they will be there next summer.