> Would a hive defensive nature give it a slight competitive advantage

All other things being equal, perhaps it might. But all other things are not equal. Defense is just one of many traits, one of many needed skills. Being highly skilled at defense isn't worth much if you have nothing to defend. In fact, being highly defensive or aggressive can be a waste of resources. Anyway, recent writing underscores the fact that bee colonies are complex and long term survival is determined by having multiple skills or adaptations:

> Honey bees are truly impressive creatures both when considered at the individual bee level and also how they operate as a super-organism when the colony is considered as the "individual." Despite all of the stressors that bees face from pathogens, parasites, pesticides and management, honey bees are resilient and have numerous traits to combat these near constant threats. ...  Breeding efforts that focus not just on one resistance trait but involve multi-trait selection for productivity and resistance traits (e.g., hygienic behavior, grooming, propolis collection) should be at the fore-front. 

Michael Simone-Finstrom (2017) Social Immunity and the Superorganism: Behavioral Defenses Protecting Honey Bee Colonies from Pathogens and Parasites, Bee World, 94:1, 21-29

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