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Are there really dead wasps in figs? - Carolyn Beans

TED-Ed • 2025-07-03 • 5:20 minutes • YouTube

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The Hidden Bugs in Your Food: From Fig Wasps to FDA Limits

Ever wondered what's really in your food? The answer might be more surprising—and buggy—than you think.

In 2023, a US grocery store made headlines when it recalled over 10,000 cases of broccoli cheddar soup. The reason? Too many bugs. While this incident grabbed attention, the reality is that insects regularly come into contact with our food supply. But just how many bugs are you actually eating, and should you be concerned?

The Fascinating World of Figs and Wasps

To understand our relationship with insects in food, let's start with one of nature's most remarkable partnerships: figs and wasps. This relationship stretches back an incredible 80 million years, when wasps first began pollinating fig trees.

A Partnership Unlike Any Other

Today, approximately 750 fig tree species each depend on at least one unique species of tiny wasps for pollination. This relationship is so specific that it's almost like a lock-and-key system in nature.

Here's where it gets interesting: figs aren't technically fruits at all. They're actually fleshy bundles derived from stem tissues that contain hundreds of internal flowers—essentially a hidden garden wrapped in what we think of as fruit.

The Life and Death Drama Inside Every Fig

The most commonly harvested fig species has a breeding system called gynodioecy, found in less than 1% of flowering plants. This system creates a fascinating—if somewhat morbid—cycle:

When a wasp enters a caprifig (male fig):
- The female wasp deposits her eggs into flower ovaries and dies
- Male wasps hatch first, fertilize developing females (often their sisters), and create exit holes
- The males die without ever leaving the fig
- Fertilized females emerge, get coated with pollen, and fly to other figs

When a wasp enters a female fig:
- The wasp can't lay eggs due to the flower structure
- She dies without offspring but successfully pollinates the fig
- This allows the tree to reproduce

The wasps can't tell which type of fig they're entering—the trees smell identical regardless of sex. This ensures both wasps and figs can continue their species.

How Humans Changed the Game

Archaeological evidence suggests humans began cultivating figs in the Jordan Valley around 11,400 years ago, possibly making them our first domesticated crop. A crucial genetic mutation allowed fig trees to ripen fruit without pollination, and humans began propagating these trees through cuttings.

This changed everything. Suddenly, figs didn't need their wasp partners—they had humans instead.

Are You Eating Wasps in Your Figs?

Today, we harvest more than 1.3 million tons of figs annually. So what does this mean for your fig consumption?

Fresh store-bought figs: These are typically from varieties that ripen without pollinators, so they're wasp-free.

Dried figs: Many still require pollination, but here's the key distinction:
- We don't usually eat caprifigs (where mother wasps and male offspring die)
- We eat figs from female trees, which might contain a female wasp that failed to lay eggs
- However, the fig's natural moisture and enzymes often break down the wasp's body completely

The Bigger Picture: Bugs Are Everywhere in Our Food

The fig-wasp relationship is just one example of how insects intersect with our food supply. The reality is that bugs are often harvested with produce or attracted to food processing facilities, making their consumption somewhat inevitable.

FDA Guidelines: Yes, There Are Official Bug Limits

The US Food and Drug Administration doesn't just acknowledge this reality—it regulates it. The FDA permits specific amounts of insect fragments in various food products:

  • Peanut butter: No more than 30 insect fragments per 100 grams
  • Hops: Up to 2,500 aphids per 10 grams
  • Various other limits exist for different products

The Numbers Might Surprise You

Some estimates suggest that Americans consume around one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of insects annually—usually without any adverse effects. In fact, this might even provide some additional nutrition.

A Global Perspective on Eating Insects

Before you feel squeamish, consider this: insects are featured in the traditional diets of over 2 billion people worldwide. They're also relatively sustainable protein sources compared to traditional livestock.

The Bottom Line

While the idea of eating bugs might seem unsettling, the reality is that small amounts of insects in our food supply are:
- Inevitable given current agricultural and processing methods
- Regulated by food safety authorities
- Generally harmless to human health
- Part of a natural relationship between insects and plants that has existed for millions of years

The next time you bite into a fig—or any food, for that matter—remember that you're participating in a complex web of relationships that connects us to the natural world in ways we rarely consider. And perhaps that's something worth, well, chewing on.

What do you think about the hidden insects in our food supply? Does knowing about FDA limits change your perspective on food safety? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📝 Transcript Chapters (3 chapters):

📝 Transcript (82 entries):

## Intro [00:00] In 2023, a US grocer recalled over 10,000 cases of broccoli cheddar soup over concerns they contained too much of an unintended ingredient. That ingredient? Bugs. We know insects regularly come into contact with our food— but how many are you actually eating? And is it okay? Let’s start with an extreme example: ## Figs and wasps [00:28] figs and their conspicuously close bond with certain bugs. Around 80 million years ago, wasps started pollinating figs. And today, each of the approximately 750 fig tree species depends on at least one unique species of tiny wasps. Pollinator-plant relationships can get hyper-specific. And figs guard their flowers especially tight for fig wasps. Technically, a fig isn't a fruit, but a fleshy bundle derived from stem tissues that holds hundreds of internal flowers— like a hidden garden. Humans typically harvest one species: the common fig. Its breeding system, called gynodioecy, is seen in less than 1% of flowering plants. It works with some common fig trees having seed-producing female parts, while others, called caprifigs, have both female seed-producing and male pollen-producing parts. Wasps get involved when a female fig wasp full of eggs follows odor cues to a common fig tree and thrusts herself into the minuscule hole at a developing fig’s base. From there, depending on whether it's a caprifig or a female fig, things go one of two ways, the outcome being either more wasps or more figs. If it’s a caprifig, the wasp deposits her eggs into the flowers’ ovaries, then dies. Instead of developing seeds, those flower ovaries turn into galls that nurture the wasp’s developing offspring. Wingless and blind, the males hatch first, open the remaining galls, and fertilize the developing females— yes, oftentimes their sisters, unless another wasp laid eggs here. Next, the males dig exit pathways they never use themselves because they die before leaving the fig. Finally, the already-fertilized females hatch, exit through the male-made holes, getting coated with pollen on the way, and fly off to other figs. If a wasp winds up in a female fig, however, she can’t lay her eggs because the flowers are structured differently. So, she dies without offspring— but she did pollinate the fig’s flowers, so the tree can reproduce. Female wasps don’t know which kind of fig they’re entering— and whether it’ll give her offspring or use her to make its own— because fig trees smell the same, regardless of sex. This ensures that a good portion of common figs can also reproduce and not just further wasp-kind. ## Humans and figs [03:03] That was how things went— until humans intervened. Archaeological records suggest that people in the Jordan Valley grew figs some 11,400 years ago, possibly making them the first domesticated crop. When a genetic mutation emerged that allowed the tree’s fruit to ripen without being pollinated, people began propagating it with cuttings. And suddenly the common fig wasn’t beholden to wasps; it had a new partner to multiply with. The crop spread far and wide, and today we harvest more than 1.3 million tons of figs annually. So how many wasps are we eating? Well, store-bought fresh figs are typically of the common fig varieties that ripen without pollinators, so they’re wasp-free. Many that are sold dried, however, still require pollination. But, of these, we usually don’t eat caprifig fruits, where the mother wasp and her male offspring die. Instead, we eat dried figs from female trees, which may contain a female wasp that attempted—and failed— to lay her eggs in it. However, it’s also possible that the moisture and enzymes figs naturally release break her body down. Big picture, though, bugs are often harvested with our produce or attracted to food processing facilities. Eating them is kind of inevitable. The US Food and Drug Administration actually permits certain amounts of bug bits in different food products. For example, no more than 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter, or over 2,500 aphids in 10 grams of hops. Some estimates hold that Americans eat around a kilogram of insects annually— without incident, and maybe even a little added nutrition. After all, insects feature in over 2 billion people's traditional diets and are relatively sustainable. So, maybe chew on that.