| It is totally normal for Passiflora to be covered in ants marching up and
down them in a very determined manner. In Costa Rica Smiley (1986) found Passiflora
quadrangularis was visited by 15 different ant species and Passiflora
vitifolia by 20 species. The relationship is often, but not always, symbiotic i.e. of mutual benefit. The ants feed at the plants nectaries (nectar secreting glands) both extra-floral on the petioles & leaves and floral, as above. The benefit that the plant gets in return is that the ants protect the Passiflora by performing general housekeeping duties including preying on herbivores such as caterpillars. Some black ants are also known to farm bugs, moving around and protecting them from predation, collecting the sugary honeydew they secrete, but I have yet to see farming on a passion flower here in UK, they just go straight to the nectaries. I understand from Mark Cooper in California however, that the ants there in addition to drinking from the nectaries and keeping off some bugs, can do a lot of damage! 'The Argentinean ant is what we have here the most. It is a small black
non-biting ant. They are excellent farmers, believe it or not. They farm
the following bugs: Mealy bugs, both root mealies and regular. Most
importantly, they farm scale; a limpet like bug under a shell that is
mobile when young and unable to move as an adult. These suck the precious
sap from a plant and introduce virus and other things. Ants also help
aphids aka. plant lice. So you see, ants are not harmless by any means. If
not for them, I would not |