Wax Glands

glands that secrete wax, located in the integument of insects. They are frequently present in herbivorous species, such as bees, bumblebees, scale insects, and aphids. Wax glands sometimes consist of a single hypodermal cell, for example, in aphids. Above this cell, in the cuticle, there is a depression with an outgrowth on the bottom and no special openings (false pore). The wax exudes through the walls of the outgrowth, emerging in the form of rods or threads. Often the unicellular glands form groups resembling complex glands above which are found sections of smooth cuticle, for example, the so-called wax mirrors on segments of the abdomen in worker honeybees or in male and worker bumblebees, which construct honeycombs from wax. Less often special openings are found in the cuticle above the cells of the wax glands. Wax is secreted through these openings as, for example, in some sawflies and ladybug larvae.