CELLULAR DEVELOPMENT AND HISTOCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF THE NASSANOFF GLANDS UNDER JUVENILE HORMONE ACTION

Resumen

The Nassanoff glands are responsible for synthesis of species-specific pheromones, and secretory substances responsible for the colony scent. In the present work the Nassanoff glands of 12 and 25 day-old Apis mellifera workers were treated with juvenile hormone (JH) just after emerging, were studied through morphometric and histological analyses and compared to those of non-treated workers. The results showed that although JH administration caused an acceleration of worker maturation, it failed to affect the developmental pattern of the Nassanoff glands, showing that the period of administration of the JH is inappropriate to cause any influence to this pattern. Keywords: Apis mellifera, histology, juvenile hormone, morphometry, Nassanoff glands.