Dufour's gland

The diversification of Hymenoptera took place in the Cretaceous and the gland may have developed at about this time (200 million years ago) as it is present in all three groups of Apocrita, the wasps, bees and ants.

The gland is lined by a single layer of epithelial cells which secrete substances into the hollow interior.

[2] Other functions include lubricating the valves of the ovipositor during egg-laying, serving as a component of material used to build the nest, serving as a food for the developing larvae and being mixed with pollen and nectar to provision the brood cell before egg-laying.

For instance, the well developed Dufour's gland is one of the main physical characteristics of a social wasp Parischnogaster mellyi, and the abundant abdominal secretion from the gland has been found to play an important role in egg development and oviposition.

[3] The gland is well-developed in various solitary mining bees where it is used to waterproof and make the lining of the brood cells fungus-resistant.