Figs are a delicious fruit of the Ficus carica plant, but they aren’t strictly vegetarian. They have a surprising connection to insects.
Figs rely on tiny fig wasps to pollinate them. This special partnership is essential for fig growth.
There are roughly 900 unique species of small, solitary wasps that pollinate the world’s 900 species of figs. Each species of fig has a specific wasp species solely responsible for its pollination.
An immature fig, at inedible stage, emits an aroma that attracts a female fig wasp, who makes a small hole at the base of the fruit to enter and then reaches the centre. to lay eggs inside the fig's flowers.
As the wasp lays eggs, it transfers pollen. The flowers are pollinated with pollen the wasp had collected from a previous fig. The eggs then hatch into larvae. At this stage, male wasps mate with the females, who later leave the fig carrying pollen from it and then lays eggs in another fig.
The male wasps die within the fig, having spent their entire life inside. Many female figs also sometimes get trapped and die inside. Their adult life lasts 2 days at the most.
The fig produces enzymes that break down the wasp’s body, absorbing it fully into the fruit. By the time figs are ripe and ready to eat, there’s no visible sign of the wasps left inside.
Some strict vegetarians and vegans avoid figs because of this process involving the fig wasp. For others, however, this natural relationship between fig and wasp is part of nature’s design.
Nutritious and a good source of fibre, magnesium, and potassium, figs are delicious, with the wasp’s role hidden in their sweet, rich taste! So next time you enjoy a fig, remember the fascinating story of the fig and the fig wasp.