Ants over the mirliton flower
There’s a popular myth going around that spraying sugar water on your mirliton vines will attract pollinators. Not only won’t sugar water attract pollinators, but it may also damage your vine.
The main pollinators for mirlitons are bees and wasps. Sugar mainly attracts ants, not bees, and ants are poor pollinators for mirlitons. Here’s why:
- Physical characteristics: Unlike bees, ants have smooth bodies that don’t retain and transfer pollen as well as bees.
- Chemical defenses: Many ant species secrete a natural antibiotic on their bodies to protect against bacteria and fungi. This substance can also destroy pollen grains, making successful pollination less likely.
- Nectar robbing: Ants often act as nectar robbers, consuming nectar from the flowers without effectively transferring pollen from the male to the female flower’s reproductive parts.
Moreover, spraying sugar water on mirliton vines can actually damage them by promoting mold and bacterial growth.
If you don’t see bees and wasps, which are effective pollinators, hand-pollinate instead of spraying sugar water on it
Here’s an academic article on chayote (mirliton) pollinators in Mexico