Is This a Fig Wasp?

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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Is This a Fig Wasp?

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Speedmaster

Registered:1404377112
Posts: 385

Posted 1411363224	Reply with quote #1

Hey guys! Is this a fig wasp? It lost one hind leg and one antenna in a fight I think? __________________ Weather: Winter: 10C+ Summer: 42C+ Growing: Syrian Unk., Atreano, Egyptian Unk., Lebanese Unk., Col de dame Gris, Beall, Negronne, Ronde de bordeaux, Brogiotto Bianco Wish List: Panache.

Aaron4USA

Registered:1375832059
Posts: 2,969

Posted 1411364733	Reply with quote #2

Mohammad, The wasps have wings directed upward and they are smaller...(maybe it's the camera angle ) this one looks big compared to Fig Wasp. here's a sample of what they look like in Los Angeles at least...

Speedmaster

Registered:1404377112
Posts: 385

Posted 1411365312	Reply with quote #3

Its the same size as your pictures. The camera is used in macro mode. I knew the size from the finger picture. But the wings look different though. Thanks for the informative post and pictures :) __________________ Weather: Winter: 10C+ Summer: 42C+ Growing: Syrian Unk., Atreano, Egyptian Unk., Lebanese Unk., Col de dame Gris, Beall, Negronne, Ronde de bordeaux, Brogiotto Bianco Wish List: Panache.

lampo

Registered:1329071797
Posts: 2,062

Posted 1411385026	Reply with quote #4

Speedmaster, Your insect could well be a Blastophaga psenes although it seems less 'elegant' than ours. Usually they may loose wing(s), antenna, etc.. when forcing through the fig ostiole scales. This time of the year in the Northern hemisphere and on many places they are most probably moving from the summer Mammoni fig into the young Mamme (inside which they lay their load of eggs, dying soon after that) ...these eggs will develop into a new generation of wasps through winter and exit the fig in March/2015. They are not transporting any pollen at all - (no receptive figs to pollinate) Francisco

Speedmaster

Registered:1404377112
Posts: 385

Posted 1411388425	Reply with quote #5

Yeah it is pretty beat up. It was not able to fly away from me and had lost some of its limbs. I saw its hind leg that was remaining and thought it looked like a fig wasp's leg. There are active fig wasps here as there are wild ficus growing from seeds everywhere and 2 of my figs got pollinated. This is why I started this topic to try and identify these wasps and what they actually look like in nature. So these species do not transport pollen? __________________ Weather: Winter: 10C+ Summer: 42C+ Growing: Syrian Unk., Atreano, Egyptian Unk., Lebanese Unk., Col de dame Gris, Beall, Negronne, Ronde de bordeaux, Brogiotto Bianco Wish List: Panache.

lampo

Registered:1329071797
Posts: 2,062

Posted 1411389870	Reply with quote #6

Assuming they are Blastophaga psenes, they will only carry pollen (and more eggs) when they emerge from the Profichi crop in June 2015. Check this link: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune99.htm it's all well explained here Francisco

Speedmaster

Registered:1404377112
Posts: 385

Posted 1411390982	Reply with quote #7

Wow! Very informative thank you! I had a fig explode like in the picture it was very thick inside. Seems many wasps got to it. __________________ Weather: Winter: 10C+ Summer: 42C+ Growing: Syrian Unk., Atreano, Egyptian Unk., Lebanese Unk., Col de dame Gris, Beall, Negronne, Ronde de bordeaux, Brogiotto Bianco Wish List: Panache.

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