When people wonder about wasps in fruit, they often confuse figs with date palm dates. This article clarifies the truth about wasps and the fruits commonly known as “dates.”
Distinguishing Figs From Date Palm Dates
Date palm dates, from Phoenix dactylifera, are widely consumed. These dates are oval-shaped, range from brown to reddish-brown, and have a sticky, chewy texture with a single pit inside.
In contrast, the narrative about wasps in fruit primarily concerns figs (Ficus carica). Figs are botanically distinct, belonging to an entirely separate plant family, Moraceae, while date palms are part of the Arecaceae family. Figs are generally rounder or pear-shaped, with colors varying from green to deep purple, and their flesh contains numerous tiny, crunchy seeds. This fundamental difference in their botanical origins is the basis for understanding their unique pollination methods.
The Fig Wasp and Fig Pollination
The common fig (Ficus carica) has an obligate symbiotic relationship with a specific insect, the fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes). This relationship is necessary for reproduction, as the fig’s flowers bloom internally within a fleshy structure called a syconium (the fruit itself). A female fig wasp, carrying pollen from another fig, enters an immature fig through a tiny opening called an ostiole, often losing her wings and antennae in the process due to the narrow passage. Once inside, she pollinates the internal flowers and, if it is a male fig (caprifig), she lays her eggs within some of the flowers.
After laying her eggs, the female wasp typically dies inside the fig. The eggs hatch into larvae, which develop within the fig’s ovaries, forming galls.
Male wasps emerge first, are blind and wingless, and mate with the female wasps still inside the fig. These males then chew tunnels to the outside, allowing the fertilized female wasps, now covered in pollen, to exit and seek out new figs to continue the cycle. If a female wasp enters a female fig, she pollinates it but cannot lay eggs, dying without reproducing, yet still fulfilling her role in the fig’s life cycle.
Pollination of Date Palm Dates
Date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) have a vastly different pollination process compared to figs. These trees are dioecious, meaning individual trees are either male or female. For commercial date production, natural wind pollination is often insufficient. Therefore, artificial pollination is widely practiced to ensure high fruit yield.
Traditional methods involve manually placing male flower strands between female inflorescence strands. These clusters are then often tied to secure the pollen. Modern techniques include dusting dry pollen by hand or using mechanical pollinators. Liquid pollination, where pollen is suspended in water and sprayed onto female flowers, is also common, applied via hand sprayers or drones for larger orchards.
Addressing Concerns About Wasps in Dates
For figs, while the fig wasp is an integral part of their natural life cycle, consumers are not typically ingesting intact insects. When a fig wasp dies inside a fig, the fruit produces an enzyme called ficin, which breaks down the wasp’s body. This process essentially digests the wasp, converting its body into proteins that are absorbed by the ripening fruit. Therefore, any “crunchy bits” encountered when eating a fig are almost certainly its numerous tiny seeds, not wasp remains. Both commercially processed figs and date palm dates are considered safe and healthy for consumption.