MacVean, C.M. 1994 Identification of nij insects and their wax: deriving a sustainable industry from biological resources used by the Maya.. International Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology and the Association for Tropical Biology

Notes: [Conference held at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 7-11 June, 1994.] This brief notes summarizes the biology and chemistry of the scale insect, Llaveia spp. (Homoptera: Margarodidae), whose body fat is used together with powdered pigments by natives of Mesoamerica to produce durable lacquer finishes on gourds, pottery and wood.