fig wasp: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

No. Many commercial common figs (Ficus carica) are parthenocarpic, meaning they develop fruit without pollination. However, most of the hundreds of wild Ficus species do require specific fig wasps for pollination and reproduction.

Fig wasps are typically very small (1-2 mm) and non-aggressive. Their stingers are adapted for egg-laying into figs, and they are generally not capable of stinging humans effectively. They are not considered a threat.

In figs pollinated by wasps, the female wasp enters, pollinates, and lays eggs. She then dies inside. The developing wasps hatch, mate, and the females leave, carrying pollen. The fig produces an enzyme that breaks down the wasp's body, so what you eat is just fig tissue, not the insect itself.

It is one of the most cited examples of obligate mutualism and coevolution. Each fig tree species often relies on one specific fig wasp species for pollination, and that wasp can only reproduce in that specific fig species. Their life cycles and physical forms are perfectly adapted to each other, demonstrating deep evolutionary interdependence.

A tiny wasp (family Agaonidae) that pollinates fig trees. The species is specific to its host fig tree, and the wasp's life cycle is completely intertwined with the fig's development.

Fig wasp is usually technical / scientific in register.

Fig wasp: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡ ˌwɒsp/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡ ˌwɑːsp/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.