Look at these cacao flowers. Each one has both male and female parts, yet there's no guarantee it will ever become a fruit. When it opens, it simply waits…waiting for one very specific, tiny insect to arrive.
It can't be a big bee or a large bug. The pollinator must be small and light enough to actually enter the flower and most importantly, it must be carrying pollen from a completely different tree (example mango or coconut tree). Only when all these precise conditions are met will the flower be pollinated and begin to grow a fruit.
What truly blows my mind is the journey. For these tiny insects to travel a long distance from a non-cacao tree and find that one specific cacao flower. And to me, that’s not random. I see it as a divine direction. They are guided by Allah to do exactly what they were created to do: to help in providing sustenance for us. In other words, they are in service to us, the humans.
This brings to mind the Quranic verse:
"Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth and has lavished His blessings upon you, both the seen and unseen?" (Surah Luqman, 31:20).
It's truly humbling how nature can point us back to Allah..
Ya Rabb, I testify that there is no diety worthy of being worshipped except You alone without partner.
The friendly jumping spider. She helps to reduce the number of certain types of bugs that could damage the fruits.
Here is the photo showing the Yellow ants and the mealy bugs (white coloured and multi legged bugs). Mealy bugs are harmful pests to cacao tree/fruits and its the ants that bring them here. Why? Because mealy bugs produce a sweet substance the ants love. So, the ants get a food source, and in return they protect the mealy bugs from other predators.
Removing the mealy bugs from young cacao fruit using a tweezer.
