Fig Wasps

Fig Wasps

It is nice to learn something new everyday. My friend and associate Chris Abrams told me this morning (4/30/09) about figs. Figs are not fruits, they are flowers. The petals, sepals and stamen are inside the fig. A tiny little wasp crawls inside and pollinates the fig. See a description here:

http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/Who_pollinates_fig_trees/index.htm

When I started thinking about this, I just wondered how it was possible, since this fig wasp lives within 15’ of the tree. Fig trees are natives of Asia. How did the wasp get here. I discovered that the fig varieties in the Americas are different. All of the flowers are female and do not require pollination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig#Pollination.2C_propagation.2C_and_fruit


Figs normally produce 2 crops per year. The 1st is borne on last year’s new growth. The second comes on the current years new growth. My first crop is usually small; because I prune the tree very heavily when it goes dormant. The 1st crop typically freezes anyway.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.