I just came in from a late morning walk through the fig mess that is my back yard and am pleased to report that I have found several tiny wasps climbing around on the fig fruit. They match the description of the fig wasp. I am wondering if they are a sign that there is a caprifig nearby that is harboring them. Also, if the wasp is present in my yard does that mean that they can pollinate my figs? Do I need to get a caprifig to keep them in my yard? I have seen them before in my yard but last time there were only two or three. this year there are more. I tried to take a picture but they are too small and are hard to see.

If someone else has a caprifig that they live in, you should be good. I have never seen them around my figs, but viable seeds suggest that there is a place for them somewhere in the neighborhood, though I have no idea where it could be.

I have a couple seedling caprifig trees, but have never seen a wasp in an of the fruit that I have opened.

Hi Afigfan,

See these pictures and compare the insects you saw with these.
These are REAL wasps coming out of a couple of caprifigs and on another picture, one is 'diving' into a fig! In fact it is cutting the ostiole scales to open a passage to go in...

- You either have a caprifig in your backyard and you don't know
- Or there is one somewhere close to your place or.... may be not that close but the wind was blowing in the right direction and they took a lift
- Or there are wasps in the wide neighborhood and, either the wind and/or something on your yard attracted the wasps.
- Around here when there is a shortage of insects, we use old tricks to 'call them'---and it works!

Finally, if they were around your backyard today, they could have already visited yesterday or the days before... and after ..(this is still the season) and:
Some of your figs were certainly pollinated
You are a lucky man
cheers
Francisco

Never realized how tiny they were

in CA and fig wasps to boot. lucky you! i didn't know why humidity wasn't good for figs.. i'm about to find out this yr. apparently up until 2011, we have case of drought for 10 yrs. no wonder the figs were so good in 2011. 

The wasps I saw look exactly like the ones in the pictures. I know for sure that there is not a caprifig in my yard as it is small and I know all of the figs I have. Now I'll have to search the neighborhood for caprifigs. If anyone has a good caprifig to offer please let me know. I would love to establish a healthy population of wasps in my yard.

afigfan,
Are you in California? 
You can probably find the caprifigs just along the streets.
There are quite a few figs growing wild that were propagated by birds in LA, for example.

afigfan,

Try to remember or find out from the local meteo office what were the predominant winds the day you saw those many insects, then define a bearing and look/search on that approx direction and you may be lucky.
Have you any Smyrna varieties in your place ?
These figs seem to attract the wasp more than others

To your 'quite unusual btw' question of looking for a caprifig I could well volunteer to let you have 3 or 4 (or more!) free caprifigs but I am not allowed by your laws (and mine as well).

Francisco

If I were you I'd buy an edible caprifig or 2 and set up a luxury hotel for those wasps.  By all accounts pollinated figs taste much better than unpollinated ones.  No personal experience of course.  Plus who knows if the next $500 fig on ebay will be Wiley's Black?

Do the edible caprifigs support the wasps year round? I thought that the wasps needed to reproduce in the caprifigs. I may have to order caprifig cuttings from the USDA this year. If there is a chance of pollination I would like to make sure that the resulting plants will have favorable characteristics.

afigfan,

If you have in mind to use two or three sources of wasps at hand, say capable of providing pollinating insects during the months of June and/or July, you could go for ,as you suggested, some cuttings of appropriate varieties of dedicated caprifigs.

With all respect for other opinions, I do not think the edible caprifig could effectively do the job.
I say -two or three sources of wasps- because from experience, Caprifigs are very vulnerable to climatic change as well as some yet undefined genetic behaviors which  may determine a failure to have sufficient  Profichis in time....if one fails you still have at least one or two stdby's.

I think UCD could provide the necessary support to identify the best varieties for you. Starting from cuttings it may take at least 3 or 4 years for your young trees to generate good caprifigs and they have to be adequately caprificated when with some receptive figs.

Ideally you could buy rooted plants if available.
Nurseries here sell potted caprifigs of various types, year round.

But, as I see it from the distance, my first priority if I were into your shoes, would be to locate the tree from where those wasps came from for that visit to your backyard...May be it is there waiting for you, and an air-layer or two could solve your problem rather quickly.
you could possibly have a couple of good potted pollinators in your backyard a year from now !

Francisco

Thank you for all of the great information. I guess I'll have to scour the neighborhood in search of the caprifig.

My feeling is that it will not be too far away ...
Good luck

Ok, I am extremely new to all things figs but I have noticed, in the last 6 to 8 weeks, dozens of tiny insects that look like wasps in a mound of red dirt in my yard.  On Memorial day, there were dozens of what looked like small bumble bees burrowing holes in this mound of dirt and a couple weeks later all the bees were gone and replaced by these tiny wasp looking insects.  They too are burrowing tiny holes into the dirt.  It's hard to tell by the picture that was posted above but they look like they might be the same insects that I have.  I only have 3 small first year trees that my brother just gave me, so the insects were here long before I got the trees, however, a new neighbor just 2 lots away planted 2 fig trees this spring.  I'm not sure that one has anything to do with the other but I am curious as to what these insects are what purpose they serve in figging.  Also, what is a caprifig and what purpose does it serve?  See, I told you I'm extremely new to all of this...lol.

jdarden1963,

Welcome to the forum and discussion of this particular subject.
To make things easier for you I would recommend you to read a very interesting paper describing the subject of wasps and pollination..here the link from the Internet

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune99.htm

From the contents of this work you may go into other links also extremely interesting and instructive.

As regards to your insects, let me tell you that I do not think they are the fig wasp. (Blastophaga psenes).

It is something else and if you manage to get some pictures, I am sure that in the forum there will be a keen entomologist ready to identify and classify your insects.
The true fig wasp (female) is a minute black insect with upward pointing wings. It is for its size a very strong creature but its life does not go beyond 48 hours or so...

As I understand you live in Texas and to my knowledge there are no fig wasps in your State.
If your insects were good fig wasps you would be striking a major breakthrough in botanical terms.

Francisco

Jdarden here is a nice video to view.

Great video Martin
Well done!
Francisco

Thanks for the advice.  The video was amazing!  I'll try to get some pictures but they are never still so it's not easy...lol.

Jdarden,

Check this link and compare with what you have seen.
These insects are attracted by old wood piles, cellulose...

http://www.bizzybees.com/pest_guide/termite_formosan.php

They are bad and need immediate attention..
Take care

Francisco

Email pitangadiego and see if he has any caprifig plants for sale. 

I tried to get some pictures but they are so small and constantly flying, it's hard to get a clear photo.  They don't look like termites or flying ants.  I've seen those before.  These look like almost like tiny wasps.  I thought it was odd that just out of nowhere we had dozens of bumblebees when we never had them before but it was REALLY odd when 2 weeks later all the bees were gone and THESE things were in their place....lol.  When I read about the fig wasps, I thought maybe that was the answer but, from what I now understand, Texas doesn't have fig wasps.  Thanks to everyone for their advice, suggestions and input.  =)