Honeybees have a role in the hive which presses worker bees into guarding the hive. At an age of approximately 15 to 21 days of age, certain bees will take on hive defense at the entrance. These bees check incoming bees and determine if they are friendly or foe. Mostly this is done by scent as each hive has its own signature odor amongst the bees. Sometimes bees with heavy loads of resources are allowed to pass. As forage slows down after the spring bounty guarding gets more assertive and this hive is watching anything that is coming in.