Houston, We Have Wasps...

[Bluemalibu]

A few weeks ago, I was assessing the progress of some grafts that I had done, and I identified a very cute little fig wasp on a Black Madeira graft.

I was elated with the confirmation that they were established in our neighborhood... but I needed to learn how far away that they might make their home, so as to alert me as to the urgency of establishing my own caprifig resource for my Smyrna and San Pedro trees. (My current caprifig is less than 24" tall) Thus began my search for the nearest mature caprifig to my orchard.

Last evening, that search met with success.

While enjoying the relative cool of the evening (with 108* days, anything below 90* is a welcome relief), we took a hike along the Feather River, about 200 yards from our place. And spotted a fig tree hidden within a group of overgrown trees, which was heavily laden with figs. One which I had not noticed before.







A small branch bearing a couple of figs returned home with us, and upon slicing it open, I was greeted with the following scene:







WooHoo!!!! I don't think that anyone has ever been happier with finding bugs in their fruit!


So, any fellow forum members that are frustrated over having trees that continually jettison their figs... (can you say, Unk Pastilier?) I would welcome trading you for trees that will produce for you without requiring the luv'n of these cute little guys.


Send me a PM, and we will both enjoy a fruitful year!

Blue

[Sarahkt]

SCORE!!! Congrats on the find!

[Bluemalibu]

Thanks, Sarah... I'll be sure to save you a bug or two!

[don_sanders]

Nice. Congrats.

[Bluemalibu]

Thanks, Don. Remember to let me know if you'd like that Bekaa, R/L.

[Figfanatic57]

That's good news. Seems like that river has trout in there. That's beautiful country that looks great.

[Bluemalibu]

I have indeed caught a few out of it, Cary. But it's the King Salmon that make their run here twice a year that draws more of my attention. Give us a shout the next time that you come north, and we'll wet a line.

[jmaler]

Good things come to good people.

[Bluemalibu]

Thanks for that Jerry... and, in keeping with that philosophy, I am still waiting to hear which cultivars that I can send as a thank-you. The WTE are leafing out wonderfully.

[greenfig]

Congrats ! There are still some benefits living in CA

[Bluemalibu]

Yes Igor, along with all of the trials that come with living in the Great State of Confusion, we are blessed in many ways as well...

[hstark]

Cool!!! I think we have some fig wasps here, but I am not sure since they could have been ants (had no idea what a fig wasp looked like). If you have a caprifig, then the wasps pollinate the 'regular' fig? The one fruit I had that had the bugs in it (like your pix) tasted terrible. But it wasn't a caprifig, it's normally delicious. So do wasps spoil common figs?

[Bluemalibu]

Yes / sometimes, Helen.

Non-caprifigs are indeed pollinated by the wasp... which can have great and terrible results on the fruit. On some cultivars like the Ponte Tresa and Unk Pastilier, pollination can transform the fruit in a wonderfully positive manner. But the pollination can be detrimental to the syconium (figs) as well. The wasps can transmit endosepsis, or internal rot fungus, and they can also over-pollinate the figs causing it to expand greatly and split wide open. Because of those hazards, here in California, as a commercial grower I am allowed to have at least one caprifig tree to utilize for pollination, but never more than 1 1/2% of my orchard can be caprifigs. Only a couple of individual wasp-laden, fungicide treated figs are used at the tree that I want to pollinate, to prevent the issues that I described. The caprifig itself is sequestered away from the balance of the orchard.

No one is allowed to have both mamme and set profichi figs present on their tree at any time, or to have a caprifig on property that they control, in which the mamme isn't treated with a fungicide. The state can force the tree to be destroyed if it is discovered.

[don_sanders]

From my research since I don't have the wasp here and never will, common figs are persistent or self fruiting but not self pollinating. The fruit won't drop from the tree even though it isn't pollinated. But they are female and can be pollinated and some say that it increases the quality of the fruit. It also produces viable seeds. I've also read that variety doesn't matter as much when you have an excellent environment and wasps to pollinate. Everything tastes great. Generally, the seeds are sterile in the unpolinated common figs but you might occasionally find some viable seeds.

Caprifigs are the males. Generally not edible and only serve to house the wasp and pollinate the females.

San pedro bear two crops with the breba not requiring pollination to ripen and the main crop requiring pollination.

Smyrna are female that have to be pollinated or the fruit won't ripen.

[hstark]

Thanks Don

[hstark]

Thanks Blue

[fitzski]

Nice find, Blue. I also think there would be trout in that stream.

[m5allen]

Beautiful area, thanks for sharing.

[PA Figs]

Blue, I have an Unk Pastiliere with your name on it

[Bluemalibu]

Nick, as always you are incredibly generous. You'll have to let me know what flavor you'd like to join your stable of figs...

[PA Figs]

I'll include it with your Angelos Dark when it is ready. Surprise me with your choice

[lilfiggy]

will those wasps come to your trees or do you have to plant your own tree? are the capri figs hard to root

[Bluemalibu]

The mature tree is about 200 yards away, which is within the range of these little wasps. But I have put a couple of wasp laden caprifig profichi (figs) at the trees that I need pollinated. The wasps tend to be largely host-specific, but they will cross into other fig varieties as well.

Just as other fig types, the caprifig strains each have individual strengths and weaknesses. Some are robust while others can be hesitant rooters. That is one of the things that I've enjoyed about ficus in general, each has a unique personality.

[FMD]

Congrats, Blue. What a wonderful discovery!

[Bluemalibu]

Thanks Frank... I'm keeping the fingers crossed that these guys will be drawn to the Ponte Tresa syconia. This truly would be Fig Heaven then!

[Altadena Mara]

So, any fellow forum members that are frustrated over having trees that continually jettison their figs... (can you say, Unk Pastilier?) I would welcome trading you for trees that will produce for you without requiring the luv'n of these cute little guys. Send me a PM, and we will both enjoy a fruitful year!
Blue

When I read of all the poor Smyrna fig trees sent to "fig heaven" for no fault of their own, I think it would be nice if there was a Smyrna Fig Rescue Society that would try to find them new homes in "Wasp Land". Here they would be some of our best fig trees. Perhaps a section of the fig board labeled "Smyrna Rescue"?

[greenfig]

Mara,

Where do I sign?
I already have a rescue Zidi!

[smatthew]

Blue - what fungicide are you using on your caprifigs?