What would it take?

LTCG

LTCG

Well-known member
To get the wasp established here (Tampa Bay, Florida area)? I personally only have just over an acre with other trees but the community has over 350 acres of conservation land that you might find an odd fig, mango, or avocado on. How far can the fig wasp travel? How many caprifig varieties and in what quantities would they be needed to sustain a year round population? Would Smyrna figs also be required?
 
Smyyrna figs are not required. They need the wasp. The wasp does not need them.
Capri take a few years to start producing correctly. I have had the wasp a few times and failed.
My trees where not ready. And squirrels had other ideas as well.
They will destroy your crop even tho they don't eat them.
You need a few trees. The more the better. That are a few years old and producing correctly.
Producing correctly comes with age. Can take many years. I would get different no name cheap non-persistent types.
Persistent types don't seem to be good year round host. At least that is what I have seen.
Just ask who you get them from if they produce three crops. Some do not and you need all three.
I do not think in your area there is die back during winter. But if there is. That may be an issue for you.
Like female fig trees. Some males are hardier than others.
Now if you are able to do all of this. Where are you getting the wasp?
You need to make sure they are not from an area with the fly.
You also need to make sure they are from clean figs. You do not want your first try at hosting them to ruin your crops due to endosepsis.
 
Eric, I don't know the curcumstances that made it ultimately successuful in Cali and the few other areas in the world where it was done. With Cali my understanding is that it took significant effort and numerous attempts. It would be interesting to know what factors made it ultimately stick.

I suspect that because the effort in Cali was to develop figs for commerical agriculture, the investment and effort was significant. It might require collaboration with others who are nearby.
 
TorontoJoe said:
Eric, I don't know the curcumstances that made it ultimately successuful in Cali and the few other areas in the world where it was done. With Cali my understanding is that it took significant effort and numerous attempts. It would be interesting to know what factors made it ultimately stick.

I suspect that because the effort in Cali was to develop figs for commerical agriculture, the investment and effort was significant. It might require collaboration with others who are nearby.
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From my reading it took tons of trees but am unsure how big an area we are talking for coverage. That’s why I asked about how far they fly or range…if I plant a bunch of caprifigs a mile from my house will they find my figs to caprify or do I need to have a large breeding area with a lot of trees and then a ‘trail’ of trees to my house?
 
Hmmm... I've heard accounts that they can travel dozens of kilometers (or miles) but I think they need that reason to travel in any particular direction....and acceptable weather conditions.
 
@LTCG I have often thought introducing the Fig wasp to Florida should be a doable project. It was done in Australia successfully. But while you're learning, and investigating why not start growing a couple of Capri figs to create pollen so you can self pollinate your crop. @GoodFriendMike is our Capri fig moderator, and a storehouse of knowledge on the subject.
 
Figless said:
@LTCG I have often thought introducing the Fig wasp to Florida should be a doable project. It was done in Australia successfully. But while you're learning, and investigating why not start growing a couple of Capri figs to create pollen so you can self pollinate your crop. @GoodFriendMike is our Capri fig moderator, and a storehouse of knowledge on the subject.
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I've got Saleeb, UCDavis and soon GxY...looking to add some more that are more in line with better habitat for the wasp than pollen producers but not getting very far.

So many projects, so little time.
 
I would plant GIRSH and SR-35 TOGETHER BUT AWAY AFROM YOUR PROPERTY .When and if they grow machure enough (3-5 YEARS) THAT THEY HAVE ALL 3 CROPS ,THEN I WOULD HAVE WASP LADENED FIGS SENT IN FROM BFF FREE AREA OF CALIF. (LATE SPRING) HANG FIGS ON THESE TREES and cross your fingers .IF they establish bring there wasp spewing figs to your property to hang and caprify your fruit . This way you can control the leval of caprification on your property .
 
Fig Gazer said:
I would plant GIRSH and SR-35 TOGETHER BUT AWAY AFROM YOUR PROPERTY .When and if they grow machure enough (3-5 YEARS) THAT THEY HAVE ALL 3 CROPS ,THEN I WOULD HAVE WASP LADENED FIGS SENT IN FROM BFF FREE AREA OF CALIF. (LATE SPRING) HANG FIGS ON THESE TREES and cross your fingers .IF they establish bring there wasp spewing figs to your property to hang and caprify your fruit . This way you can control the leval of caprification on your property .
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Thanks for the suggestions. How far is too far?
 
FOR what i discribed you will be physicaly moveing wasp spewing figs from capri to your orchard as needed/desired if you want the wasp to fly on its own less than a mile with sent of your orchard blowing lightly in the waspy capri figs direction ! THE wasp is not strong flyer so a strong wind will keep them away .They do not fly at night .
 
LTCG said:
I've got Saleeb, UCDavis and soon GxY...looking to add some more that are more in line with better habitat for the wasp than pollen producers but not getting very far.

So many projects, so little time.
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Fig gazer has donated some Girsh cuttings to Figfanatics. Maybe we could mail you a cutting, or two for your project.
 
As I see it, the main issues they had when bringing in the wasp to California were, the time it took to ship the Caprifigs from Europe, as many would have spoiled before arriving, and not having the more detailed information we currently possess, regarding the receptive size of the figs. With all of this new information we now have, and the speed that we can have items sent, it should be a very simple task, as long as the trees are mature enough to carry the wasps.

Wasps can only fly about 500metres on their own, but wind can carry them more than 100kms.

All Caprifig trees are very different, some have huge crops on Profichi, with large figs carrying many hundreds of wasps in each, some are just the opposite, but have great Mamme crops. Some can have Profichi on the tree for a month or more, some only for a week or so.

All Caprifig pollen is different, and this can change the way the figs look and taste.

If you hang Profichi figs in trees, after the first 2 days, about 85% of wasps will have left the figs, and these will have carried the most pollen. Less than 10% of the available pollen in the Profichi fig will be transported to your figs.

If you are growing 2-4 Caprifig trees of different types, grow them close together so they have a common canopy, and only ever prune them to remove suckers or branch rubbing, wasps will fry in hot sun.
 
Sorry, I missed an important point here, if the humidity is very high, there is a good chance that no pollen will be carried to the figs, the wasp's bodies will fail to cool and contract after they leave the Caprifigs, and pollen will spill out.
 
Rob said:
Sorry, I missed an important point here, if the humidity is very high, there is a good chance that no pollen will be carried to the figs, the wasp's bodies will fail to cool and contract after they leave the Caprifigs, and pollen will spill out.
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This could be an issue. What is "very high?"
 
LTCG said:
This could be an issue. What is "very high?"
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I don't know that there is any data on that, but pollen is only carried passively on Blastophaga Psenes, and little to none is carried to the figs on the outside of their bodies, it is only carried in the pleural invaginations (folds in their small body), and if the the wasps don't cool slightly and shrink after exiting the Caprifig, the pollen cannot be held.
 
Rob ,I do not get your point about growing caprifigs in a group causing the wasp to fry ? the amount of pollen a wasp transfures needs to only be tiny to get the job done ,and "cooling" seems either a natural function or not neccacary as all wasps that get in a female fig seems to cause all or at least partial caprification .
 
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