Figs are sweet, edible fruits often sold by themselves, in jams, or as a base for desserts, and they're pollinated by wasps—not bees. Perhaps you're hesitant to purchase figs after hearing the rumor that there are dead wasps inside them. The rumor suggests that when a wasp pollinates a fig, it sometimes dies inside the fruit, and its body is absorbed by the fig.
As it turns out, this isn't just a rumor. Here, we unpack the fig-wasp relationship and answer all your questions about what's in your figs—and why they're safe to eat.
Why Figs Need Wasps
While figs are generally considered a fruit, they are technically also an inverted flower. The fig blooms inside its pod connected to the fig plant.
Flowers must be pollinated to reproduce, but since a fig's flower is hidden inside itself, the pollinator must crawl inside the fig to bring the pollen directly to the flower. It is inside the fig flower where female wasps lay eggs.
This relationship between the special fig wasps and the figs themselves is mutually beneficial—both the fig and the wasp need each other to successfully reproduce. In biology, this kind of relationship is referred to as mutualism, when two species impact one another positively.
A young fig tree produces inedible male figs, called caprifigs, which produce pollen. The tree also produces female figs that grow and bloom inside their separate pod, where wind or bees can't pollinate them as they do other flowers.
Female wasps will crawl inside both male and female figs to try to reproduce. They burrow inside the fig through a narrow opening called an ostiole.
If the female wasp arrives in a male fig—also known as a caprifig—she lays her eggs and then dies. Her eggs hatch, with blind, flightless male wasps hatching first. They mate with their female counterparts. The male wasps then burrow a tunnel out of the caprifig, and the females fly out, full of fertilized eggs and carrying pollen, starting the cycle anew.
If the wasp burrows into a female fig, however, she can't lay her eggs and will die of starvation. However, she does bring pollen into the internal flowers of the fig, pollinating it. After that, the figs quickly ripen for people and other animals to eat.
So, should you be worried about the figs in your kitchen? Technically, there is at least one dead wasp per fig. However, you are in no way eating a live wasp. That wasp exoskeleton is always broken down before we bite into figs.
The figs produce a special enzyme called ficin, which breaks down the insect's body and turns it into protein that gets absorbed by the plant. The crunches you experience when chewing a fig are the fig seeds, not the wasp.
No. While female wasps lay eggs within a fig fruit, the crunch you experience when eating a fig does not come from those eggs. All wasps have either exited the fig or their exoskeletons have been broken down and absorbed by the fruit.
Are figs safe to eat?
In the context of the pollination process, yes, figs are safe to consume.
“There's no fig wasp in there by the time people are eating the fruit,” says Ferguson. The female fig produces an enzyme that completely digests the exoskeleton before hungry humans can take a bite. To be clear: “The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts,” she adds.
Remember, not all figs have wasps in them. Some varieties - including many grown for the supermarkets - don't need to be pollinated by fig wasps. Instead, they're sprayed with certain hormones to make the fruit ripen or they're simply a type of fig that doesn't need pollination.
He cut open a dried fig and saw a small dark spot just inside its ostiole — a small opening on the round bottom of a fig, through which female wasps crawl to lay their eggs. He placed the specimen under a microscope, and sure enough, it was the remnant of a wasp.
Pollinating fig wasps are renowned for their highly inbred lifestyle but many species frequently have a mixed mating system (Herre et al., 1997; Greeff, 2002; Molbo et al., 2002, 2004; Zavodna et al., 2002; Greeff et al., 2003; Jansen van Vuuren et al., 2006).
Figs offer a snug nursery where fig wasps can lay eggs and raise young. In turn, fig wasps distribute fig pollen, enabling the plant to make seeds and reproduce. Theirs is a unique relationship, one of the best examples of mutualism in nature, where both of its members and the wider ecosystem benefit.
Why can't vegans eat figs? Some vegans see the mutual relationship between wasps and figs as animal exploitation and ultimately animal consumption. They, therefore, avoid figs entirely. Most vegans, however, consider figs to be vegan and consume them.
The crunchy little things that you notice when eating a fig are the seeds, each corresponding to one flower. Such a unique flower requires a unique pollinator. All fig trees are pollinated by very small wasps of the family Agaonidae.
The tiny fig wasps that pollinate the figs die and get totally absorbed as nutrients in the figs. They are not the kind that would sting someone. Wasp allergies apply to being stung. So, no there should not be a problem eating figs.
The varieties of figs that don't require pollination are brown turkey, celeste, and mission. Caprifigs, smyrna, and san pedro figs do rely on wasps for pollination. Additionally, Calimyrna figs grown in California aren't pollinated by wasps.
We're talking about a real (small) variety of the stinging insect called the fig wasp, which exists in a mutually beneficial relationship with the fig tree.
After pollination, there are several species of non-pollinating wasps that deposit their eggs before the figs harden. These wasps act as parasites to either the fig or possibly the pollinating wasps. As the fig develops, the wasp eggs hatch and develop into larvae.
Individuals who are allergic to rubber latex or birch pollen could be allergic to figs. Figs contain a lot of vitamin K. People on blood-thinning medications should consult their doctor before incorporating it into their diet.
It is important to note, however, that figs, and particularly dried figs, contain high amounts of sugar and in the short term can increase blood sugar levels. So, if you find it challenging to manage your blood sugar levels, you must refrain from eating dried figs.
Yes, edible figs do include at least one dead female wasp. However, it is not quite the urban legend that fruits contain insect meat. When a female wasp dies within an edible fig, an enzyme known as ficin in the fig breaks down her carcass into protein.
If the wasp climbs into a female fig, she pollinates it, but cannot lay her eggs and just dies alone. Luckily for us, the female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely. The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts.
Although most figs are tropical, two species of fig wasps are found in North America. The female fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes, about 1.5 mm (0.06 inch) in length, was introduced into the western United States to pollinate the Smyrna fig, a commercially important variety.
Fig pollination is a result of nature, not human intervention, and for that reason, many vegans still eat figs. But for others, the line is clear: figs contain dead animals, and therefore, they are not vegan.
Figs are self-pollinating, so you don't need multiple plants to get fruit— but you do need to avoid crowding plants if you're adding more than one to your yard. Some fig varieties have invasive roots that may damage pipes, sidewalks or driveways.
In ecological terms male figs produce edible insects (fig wasps) but not edible fruit. Female figs produce edible fruit (figs) and seeds but not insects.
According to Science Daily, the pesticide Chitosan, which fights bacteria and prevents bananas from over-ripening, is made from shrimp and crab shells. So although, like figs, the banana itself is still a fruit, the compound used to extend its life is made from animal matter.
For a long time, a staple like almonds have been a reliable source of nutrition for anyone on a plant-based diet. However, with recent surges in global popularity and demand for almonds for products like almond milk have seen the introduction of farmed bees in order to pollinate almond farms.
Despite being called a fruit, a fig is technically a syconium—a tiny group of inverted flowers growing inside a pod. Each pod contains hundreds of flowers, and each flower produces a small seed, which is the actual fruit of the fig plant.
But as mentioned above, common figs are parthenocarpic and don't need wasp pollination. It is normal for young trees to produce fruits that don't fully mature. That's just part of the development process of the tree. As the tree gets older, the fruits will mature properly.
Smyrna [1] type figs will always have remains of fig-wasps inside. You can't produce a Smyrna without fig wasps. They are known as the best tasting figs exactly by this. The fig wasp pollinates the fruit and the fig seeds add a very desired crunchy and almond flavored taste to the sugary flesh.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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