Abstract: 【Aim】 Insect mandibular glands are exocrine organs that produce chemical substances known as pheromones which play an important role in intraspecific communication of insects. Our study aimed to understand the anatomical organization and postembryonic development of the mandibular glands in the Chinese honeybee, Apis cerana cerana. 【Methods】 The structure and developmental process of the mandibular glands were comparatively studied by using histological, morphometrical and immunohistochemical (BrdU incorporation) methods. 【Results】 The results showed that the mandibular glands presented caste-specific polymorphism, the largest in queens , then in workers, and the smallest in drones. The mandibular glands appeared during metamorphosis from the last instar larva to prepupa, and extensive proliferation in the mandibular glands could be detected only on the 1st day of pupal development. Proliferative nuclei disappeared on the 6th day of pupal development. Intima was divided from the secretory cell during early development of the mandibular glands, and kept to adults. 【Conclusion】 This study provides an essential foundation for studying the development and function of insect mandibular glands.

Key words: Apis cerana cerana, mandibular gland, tissue structure, postembryonic development, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), immunohistochemistry