Digestive enzyme secretion by thoracic salivary glands in honey bee Apis cerana indica (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

The thoracic salivary glands in the honey bee, Apis cerana indica are coiled tubular structures. The light and electron microscopic studies revealed well defined cytoplasmic organelles performing protein synthesis and presence of abundant quantity of secretory granules in the cytoplasm in the glandular cells in the nurse and foraging bees. In worker bees, this extract contains high concentration of amylase and invertase. These findings strongly suggest active involvement of thoracic salivary glands in the carbohydrate digestion in order to produce honey.