Adnexal Glands of the Sting Apparatus of Bees: Anatomy and Histology, I (Hymenoptera: Colletidae and Andrenidae)

In this anatomical and histological study of the sting apparatus glands in four species of Colletidae and three species of Andrenidae, close parallelism was found between the development of the sting and the development of the acid gland. Only the acid gland opens into the sting chamber and produces the venom. The basic gland secretion most probably serves the purpose of water-proofing the inner walls of the cells at the time of nest building.