We also don't know which #Ceratopogonidae species are the best #pollinators for #cocoa, how they're distributed within and between farms, or how they respond to modern pest, weed and disease control strategies.

And how they interact with each other, and other plants on the farm remains a huge unknown.

Here's a male Ceratopogonidae from a cocoa plantation in Ghana...

Cocoa is especially #pollinated by #Ceratopogonidae midges, particularly the genus #Forcipomyia. However...lots of other insects of similar size may play a role. This could include thrips, gall midges, fruit flies, etc. Gall midges are particularly common on cocoa plantations.

But Forcipomyia respond to the odour of #cocoa flowers, and have hairy bodies that cocoa pollen clings to, so they can carry more grains than many other flower visitors. So it's likely that they're most efficient.