 The exoskeleton of the abdomen is divided into plates called dorsal tergites and ventral sternites . Wax is secreted from glands on the abdomen and extruded between the sternites where it resembles flakes of dandruff . It is secreted by the queen when she starts a nest and by young workers . It is scraped from the abdomen by the legs , moulded until malleable and used in the construction of honeypots , to cover the eggs , to line empty cocoons for use as storage containers and sometimes to cover the exterior of the nest . 
