Are there really dead wasps in figs? You’ve likely heard the rumors, and it turns out that it’s (sometimes) true. Sure, it sounds kind of gross and a little sad. But when you find out about the whole ...

If you love figs, you may have heard some unsettling lore about them: that every fig hides a wasp, because these insects need to crawl inside and die in order for the fruit to grow. But are there ...

Fresh figs are irresistible from late summer through early fall, when trees droop from the weight of these luscious, caramelly fruits. Nothing stands between fig lovers and this bounty, except … wasps ...

The story of the fig and the wasp goes back as many years as man has grown fig trees, because fig wasps are the only pollinators for several species of fig trees. It is said that they co-evolved. This ...

The first time I ate a fig I was about 40 years old. I was with my husband, Sam, and we rented a cottage on a California vineyard in Sepastopol. One day we were in the hot tub on the deck and we ...

You might not know this, but most figs have dead wasps in them at some point. That’s right. Wasps. And if that surprises you, then hold onto your hat: Scientists have found out how another species of ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." You’ve probably heard rumors about figs being filled with dead wasps. That's only sort of true. It is ...

Contrary to prevailing wisdom concerning one of the most famous textbook examples of a tightly co-evolved mutualism, not every fig species is pollinated by its own unique wasp species. In this week's ...

Depicted here are some of the many varieties of figs that do not have the specialized pollination needs of Smyrna figs, so can be grown over a much wider range. From left, top row, are Celeste, San ...

Recent experiments concerning hugely-important fig plants (Ficus) and their relationship with small, short-lived fig wasps suggest dire potential consequences due to human induced climate change, ...

A fig wasp walks into a bar — but if he belongs to one new species, there’s about a one in five chance that he’s bluffing about beating the frass out of somebody. Male fig wasps may measure only a few ...