What is the coldest zone fig wasps have been found and is there any research going on to find an alternative pollinator to the fig wasp that might extend the range where figs needing pollination can be grown?

Was aware that some are hand pollinating and that some people have colonized a green house to solve the problem. Was hoping that someone might be working with an insect of some sort who might be able to survive in the wild given the presence of the right sort of figs.

Marianna, there are approx 750 species of figs and each fig has it's own species of wasp for pollination that will pollinate only one unique fig species.  As far as the zone in which both wasp and figs thrive it's not only the warmth but also the right climate conditions.
So one might say figs are particular.

Marianna, you can hand pollinate them but  with a large tree, it will be a JOB!  You will have to get some male capri figs and extract the pollen from the figs  but it can be done.  I hand pollinate my citrus trees.

Dennis,  Not sure I have the patience for that now.  When I lived in NYC I had a 13' glass exposure with no blocking building and a deep window box.  I grew all sorts of herbs and hand pollinated my tomatoes but other than finding some wild pears and hanging clusters of flowers in the branches to pollinate some of my pears up north, I have not done any of that stuff in years. If I build a greenhouse, that could change.

The only fig I have which requires pollination is a Sarizeybek. It did produce fruit last year but all dropped before ripening. Sounds like its not just a case of finding a source for a wasp to pollinate this fig, its a case of finding the right wasp to do the job? Maybe the best course of action since it is a special tree in terms of family history is for me to grow the healthiest tree I can and simply to make scion wood available to people who live where a suitable wasp is available and they can grow the variety successfully. Its not a fig for everyone because it does tend to have a thicker skin than many figs but other than that, its a great fig and an especially beautiful one at that. Fruitful or not, it will always have a place in my garden.

Marianna,

>>Sounds like its not just a case of finding a source for a wasp to pollinate this fig, its a case of finding the right wasp to do the job? 

There is only one species of wasp that pollinates Ficus carica.

When John said there where 750 species of figs all with different symbiotic wasps he probably meant the different number of species in the genus Ficus. In fact, for each species of Ficus there is usually only one species of wasp that can pollinate it. They adapted to each other as they evolved together for millions of years.

But almost all the figs we grow belong to the species Ficus carica (the common edible fig) and they can all be pollinated by the same species of wasp, Blastophaga psenes.

If you ask someone in a wasp zone to send you some Profichi (the caprifig crop that has male flowers with polen), usually around June, and you place a few of those figs near your Sarizeybek fig tree when the figs are small (the size of a nail), they will be pollinated when the wasps leave the caprifigs with polen and enter the Sarizeibek figs. They won't drop and will develop fully.

I have done the same procedure this year to pollinate some Inchário Branco figs which also need to be pollinated.

I am trying to introduce the wasp in my area - http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/pollination-of-smyrna-figs-8153778?pid=1292883619,
but if i don't succeed i can always resort to this method (obtain Profichi with wasps from a region who has them) and pollinate my Smyrna figs that way, every year.

Jsacadura,

Thanks for the clarification.  Was sort of confused by Johns post as I had not been aware of there being more than one type of wasp in the US. My immediate thought was that I had a huge gap in my knowledge and wondering where to look for more information on the exact type needed.

Hope you will be successful in the introduction of the wasp in your area. Sadly I think its an impossibility in our area since we get several days a year where the temperature will drop between 0-10 degrees Fahrenheit and a couple of months where temperatures in the teens can be expected. Think some people have been able to successfully establish a colony in a greenhouse but I am not sure whether that worked out to be a long term solution or not. Profichi is probably the only way to go.