Hypopharyngeal gland
The head gland producing brood food, active in workers of about three to ten days old.
Bees
Definition
Develops as a bee reaches nursing age, produces brood food, then atrophies as she moves on to other tasks. The gland also produces invertase, the enzyme that inverts sucrose during honey ripening. Its development and decline is much of what drives a worker's sequence of jobs.
See also
Other bees terms
Sources
Sources
- The Biology of the Honey Bee — Harvard University Press (1987) · Textbook
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