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Fig Wasp

What is fig wasp?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Family Agaonidae[2]
Order Hymenoptera[4]
Superfamily Chalcidoidea[1]
Role Pollinates fig flowers[2]

Fig wasps are small wasps, primarily of the family Agaonidae, that have a mutualistic relationship with fig trees: they pollinate fig flowers while their larvae develop inside the figs.

Context

Fig wasps are small wasps associated with fig trees, especially the family Agaonidae, and in many cases the wasp pollinates fig flowers while using the fig to develop its larvae [2]. They belong to the order Hymenoptera and superfamily Chalcidoidea [4] [1]. Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with figs: the wasp reproduces in the fig, and the fig is pollinated by the wasp [4]. Female wasps enter receptive syconia, pollinate flowers, and lay eggs in some flowers; the larvae develop inside the fig [3]. Some insects called fig wasps do not pollinate figs and instead feed on the plant or act as gall-makers or parasitoids [1].

Documented claims

  • Fig wasps have an obligate mutualism with figs: the wasp reproduces in the fig, and the fig is pollinated by the wasp. [4]
  • Female wasps enter receptive syconia, pollinate flowers, and lay eggs in some flowers; the larvae develop inside the fig. [3]

Questions and answers

Do figs still contain wasps?

Figs may contain wasps, as female wasps enter the fig to pollinate and lay eggs, and the larvae develop inside the fig [3].

Can you eat figs without wasps?

Figs can be eaten without wasps, as many cultivated figs are parthenocarpic and do not require wasp pollination [5].

Does fig wasp?

Fig wasps pollinate fig flowers and use the fig for larval development [2].

Do wasps form figs?

Wasps do not form figs; figs are the fruit of fig trees, but wasps are essential for pollination in many species [4].

Sources

  1. Life and Death of a Fig Wasp - Ask A Biologist — askabiologist.asu.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Exploring the Secret Lives of Figs and Fig Wasps — cmns.umd.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. FIG WASP Definition & Meaning — merriam-webster.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Fig Wasp - an overview — sciencedirect.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  5. Figs and fig wasps: Current Biology — cell.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in Things