Found this tube or garden-hose like structure on the wall outside a house. It had a tapered opening and what looked like bees kept buzzing in and out. Is honey produced in there? How would they store it? 

[update in response to Jon's comment: Thanks. I live in the highlands in central West Malaysia, which is located near the equator, north of it. The bees were small, about 1cm in length. Bee traffic wasn't heavy, you'd see about one every minute or so.] 

When I was wandering around my garden one evening I noticed a European honeybee hanging strangely from a lillypilli flower.On closer inspection I saw a well-camouflaged spider holding the bee in place and a number of small flies covering its body (see photo, right).

I can understand the spider's role in all this, but what are the flies doing?

Robert McKinlay, Balgownie, New South Wales, Australia