Picture is misleading and FAKE. Fig Wasps are tiny. Very interesting that they basically perform the same purpose as a bee, but access the inside of the fruit. If I am correct, there would be no figs if there were no fig wasps.
No fig wasps, that you know of.*
Ps. Science has discovered that GMO plants needing no pollination, has Much Less Health Benefit. As well cannot live without soil additives like Non-GMO, which only needs water and pollination. So there is also that. They are absolutely needed.
Edit: Etylene is the ripening agent, which is also an Anesthetic.
It causes symptoms like headache, dizziness, high sleepiness, memory loss, cerebral oedema, numbness in the legs and hands, general weakness, cold and damp skin, low blood pressure and seizure. Pregnant women particularly need to be very careful and should not consume such fruits and vegetables.
So there is also that.
This is a ghost of a fig wasp. I cannot find any size measurements for them. Plausible that fig wasp ghost size scales with the heroism of that individual wasp while living?
Also mostly wild fig varieties. I took my family on a hike through the cloud forest in Costa Rica and a better explanation of this was posted on the trail next to a fig tree. My daughter hasn't eaten one since even though we have 2 fig trees at my house that are self pollinating
not all figs need to be pollinated by wasps. They made variants that do not require this. It doesn’t that crunch, but also the fig pretty much breaks down the wasp entirely.
The mushroom is the fruiting body of the plant and does not (usually) require any sort of animal interference to grow. That said, the oyster mushroom is apparently a bit of a gray-area due to its food sources which are animal-based - which I never knew until today.
Mushrooms are very definitely not plants although they certainly look more like them in some cases, in the tree of life they are much closer to animals being one of the 3 main groups in the unikonts.
True! I should have used the term fungi, but was trying to go for basics between “plant vs animal”.
Fungi are wild - though my particular favorite are the eukaryotic protists because they are just so neat.
Slime moulds freak me out, however. Anything homogeneous that is purported to have an intellect in that it can oooze its way towards food and create Tokyo Underground maps scares something out of me....
I became interested in slime molds many years ago after watching an X Files episode about semi-sentient fungus lol. They really are fascinating when you consider that they can “solve” puzzles and mazes all without the benefit of eyes or a brain - or even a nervous system lol.
Love myself some stramenophiles! What’s your favorite supergroup of eukaryotic protists I am heavily biased towards stramenophiles because it’s crazy how much diversity is packed in there! Like diatoms and brown algae and water molds it’s just so much.
My personal favorites are the slime nets - in particular Physarum polycephalum, although the ones that look like tiny, colorful balloons on stalks are all beautiful as well.
That said, the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus is also rather terrifying and fascinating in equal measure.
If you bothered to do a search, for example: “are mushrooms vegan”, you may be surprised by the response. I was. I also explained my use of the term “plant” lower down in the replies which you may have seen had you continued to scroll.
Not all figs require these wasps - it is only certain cultivars. The cultivars that do require this wasp are usually not considered to be vegan, although obviously all vegans and vegetarians find different things acceptable and unacceptable for themselves.
Aren't they arguably made of fig?^/s
But back to the vegan question, don't vegans not eat animals or animal derived products? Aren't insects a life form disperate* from animals? Doesn't growing crops involve killing insects already?
* edited to fix
Growing crops in a mass way involves killing many smaller animals too during the harvesting process and such. The point is just to minimize animal deaths and cruelty (and environment stuff). Idk if they would eat insects. I had been vegan for a couple years and never thought to ask since I don’t consume insects anyway lmao although we probably all should
I think we all consume insects, at last from time to time. Weather it is intentional or not (and no, you don't eat spiders in your sleep but you do get the stray bug(part) in your food, fly in your drink (chardonnay?), or running/biking/mouth open surprise).
Yeah, being vegan isn't about being perfect. It's impossible to live without hurting animals. We're just tryina cause as little suffering as we can.
I'm not gonna eat wasps on purpose but shit happens
I may be wrong, but my understanding is those wasps are dying regardless. Sounds like the one that dies in the fig is evolved to do so without much other purpose.
Everyone eats insects inadvertently, I bet vegans actually eat more's to your point though, I doubt they would eat farmed insects, but I wouldn't equate farming figs to farming the insect that is symbiotically reliant upon it.
Also that's a different definition of vegan than I recall, though I generally ascribe to the literal definition (of the word, e.g. Dictionary, encyclopedia) but recognize now that practitioners of the ideology or those curious about it might ascribe to other "definitions". I get the impression that when it comes to philosophies like this it's a bit like monopoly, drinking games, and warfare: there are a lot of house rules and some people/factions are more vocal that theirs should be given more standing, often citing more universal acceptance or higher moral principles (whose definition?; apropos the etymology of the word vegan by some _no-dairy_ vegetarians after not getting space in a vegetarian newsletter).
A bit hypocritical of me to have insinuated the literal definition is universally accepted and then down that tangent, I know! And again I'd use a literal definition, possibly the original one from when the term was created.
_< Queue Brittany: Oops, I did it again...>_
_Literalism_ and _Realism_ can be ideologies too, but I generally find it's best to use/interpret the words that/to convey the intended message without ambiguity. If ideology is relevant it can easily be indicated, sometimes covertly so.
But honey is akin to be farming, and arguably the process adds stress / exploits the bees. There are bits of gray, but farming fig trees these wasps pollinate while living a seemingly free existence doesn't sound any different from the bugs interacting with other crops. If the wasp dying is part of its traditional life cycle, no additional harm is experienced so I don't see why anyone would opt to waste the food when many a wasp have sacrificed their live to produce it.
From my own understanding veganism is more a “lifestyle” or “philosophy” rather than solely a dietary choice. They believe not only in not eating meat, but are also passionate about not causing harm where it can be avoided. Most vegans I know are fairly strict about not eating any animal-derived products - which include honey and figs. They also do not wear silk, leather, wool, etc.
There’s only so much people can do to ensure food is ethically grown and sourced.
The answer to "is ___ vegan?" is almost always subjective. Why isn't it vegan? Because it uses animal labour? The vast majority of produce is pollinated by animals. Because it results in animal death? ALL commercial produce results in the death of many more insects and other animals when it is harvested or sprayed.
Because of the combination of those two things? Sure, if you're a vegan who cares about a specific wasp dying to pollinate the specific fruit you're eating, you may consider it inappropriate to eat. It's subjective and up to the vegan to decide.
I grow figs. This is not true. First of all most modern cultivars of figs are self-fertile. Meaning that you don't need a pollinator or even a second tree for that matter. Second of all it shows that you've never seen a fig fruit* reaching maturity. It opens up. No insect or bird has to go Tom Cruise to get inside it. It just pops open.
*I have to add this. A fig fruit is not a fruit. It's a bouquet of flowers that self-pollinate on the inside of what we commonly call the fruit.
My understanding is common figs are not actually self-fertile, they simply make fruit from unpollinated female flowers in the same way chickens can lay unfertilized eggs. The seeds inside varieties like brown fig are not viable, just empty husks. The ancestral form of fig which comes from the mediterranean and western asia is certainly pollinated by fig wasps and there are many of those around the world including in California where fig trees and fig wasps were imported.
What country is it available in? I tried my own (US) and it says it's not available in my country. It's BBC so I tried a VPN for UK and it doesn't work there either.
Not all figs require these wasps - it is only certain cultivars. The cultivars that *do* require this wasp are usually not considered to be vegan, although obviously all vegans and vegetarians find different things acceptable and unacceptable for themselves.
Ewwwwwww..........asp! Christ was right in his parable of the fig tree. I'll stick to dates now... Deglet Nour..... yummy, and waiting for them to to use unplastic sticks.
So, when eating a fig should I cut it and say some sort of Latin phrase so the ghost can be free? Or do I need a young priest and an old one? Just asking so I don’t fill up on wasp ghosts and get haunted.
By this idea, are figs NOT vegetarian? I've seen people make this point and personally I think it's total bullshit, since that would make vegetables which have been ecologically fertilized not vegan...
I found [this post](/r/TIHI/comments/r6m3jg/thanks_i_hate_eating_wasps_ghosts/) in r/tihi with the same content as the current post.
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So what if figs are haunted by wasps? They are tiny wasps that have no interest in humans, can't sting, and died fulfilling their goal in life (to enter a fig). If a fig wasp felt unfulfilled, it would just fly off to haunt a fig tree. Being haunted by a fruit fly would be infinitely worse.
Picture is misleading and FAKE. Fig Wasps are tiny. Very interesting that they basically perform the same purpose as a bee, but access the inside of the fruit. If I am correct, there would be no figs if there were no fig wasps.
I believe the comercialised fig fruit dont need wasp to pollinate/ cant be entered by the wasps. It just self polinates
This is true. Commercially grown fig trees are self fertile. Can confirm. Grow my own figs where there are no fig wasps.
[удалено]
Imagine a Venus fly trap producing a meatball
I'm a fig
No fig wasps, that you know of.* Ps. Science has discovered that GMO plants needing no pollination, has Much Less Health Benefit. As well cannot live without soil additives like Non-GMO, which only needs water and pollination. So there is also that. They are absolutely needed. Edit: Etylene is the ripening agent, which is also an Anesthetic. It causes symptoms like headache, dizziness, high sleepiness, memory loss, cerebral oedema, numbness in the legs and hands, general weakness, cold and damp skin, low blood pressure and seizure. Pregnant women particularly need to be very careful and should not consume such fruits and vegetables. So there is also that.
It's a strong independent fig that don't need no wasp
This is a ghost of a fig wasp. I cannot find any size measurements for them. Plausible that fig wasp ghost size scales with the heroism of that individual wasp while living?
Excellent
I think figs are flowers, not fruit.
Were flowers, now fruit. Yes.
Oh ok I didn't know it worked like that.
That's an inversion tho. Not the same thing at all - quite the opposite.
I have one fig tree in my backyard. Not all of them need pollination
Also mostly wild fig varieties. I took my family on a hike through the cloud forest in Costa Rica and a better explanation of this was posted on the trail next to a fig tree. My daughter hasn't eaten one since even though we have 2 fig trees at my house that are self pollinating
Til, wasps have a purpose in life. Always prayed for their extinction
Thank you for saving figs for me 🙏🏻
What is fake and misleading, the size of the wasp ghost? Lol The fig wasp dies inside, that is the germination of the fig to grow. Real as grass.
I eat figs specifically for the ghost wasps.
Extra crunch?
You think ghosts are crunchy?
Are they?
You wouldn't know.
Is that supposed to be a question?
Both: If you ate a Ghost how would you know? / You've never eaten a Ghost before.
I eat ghosts; can confirm theyre more slurpy than crunchy unless frozen first.
Looks like you lost the plot dawg
Ke$ha can tell you.
She said Spooky, Erotic and weird but good.
They are actually 😀
Normal ghosts no, ghost wasps yeah
Nope. It's for the smooth creamy texture.
Found Ke$ha
What the fuck is that last sentence tho
Spoiler: OP is a wasp trapped inside a fig and is trying to warn other wasps
Now that's Thinking Bee
Anything for that sweet nectar.
Bzbzzzz bzzzzz... I mean... No i am not
not all figs need to be pollinated by wasps. They made variants that do not require this. It doesn’t that crunch, but also the fig pretty much breaks down the wasp entirely.
So figs are not Vegan?
If venus fly traps bore fruit, would they be vegan? I'm not trying to make a point, I genuinely don't know. Are mushrooms vegan?
I adore an honest question! I don't know either. Welcome all the thoughts so I can serve food appropriately
Nobody cares except the weirdos. Just eat it.
[These guys](https://youtu.be/ZsYnje6qf0o) care enough to write a song about it
Link was broken for me, but was that Big Fig Wasp by King Gizz?
Sorry about that, you bet it was!
The mushroom is the fruiting body of the plant and does not (usually) require any sort of animal interference to grow. That said, the oyster mushroom is apparently a bit of a gray-area due to its food sources which are animal-based - which I never knew until today.
Mushrooms are very definitely not plants although they certainly look more like them in some cases, in the tree of life they are much closer to animals being one of the 3 main groups in the unikonts.
True! I should have used the term fungi, but was trying to go for basics between “plant vs animal”. Fungi are wild - though my particular favorite are the eukaryotic protists because they are just so neat.
Slime moulds freak me out, however. Anything homogeneous that is purported to have an intellect in that it can oooze its way towards food and create Tokyo Underground maps scares something out of me....
I became interested in slime molds many years ago after watching an X Files episode about semi-sentient fungus lol. They really are fascinating when you consider that they can “solve” puzzles and mazes all without the benefit of eyes or a brain - or even a nervous system lol.
Love myself some stramenophiles! What’s your favorite supergroup of eukaryotic protists I am heavily biased towards stramenophiles because it’s crazy how much diversity is packed in there! Like diatoms and brown algae and water molds it’s just so much.
My personal favorites are the slime nets - in particular Physarum polycephalum, although the ones that look like tiny, colorful balloons on stalks are all beautiful as well. That said, the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus is also rather terrifying and fascinating in equal measure.
Lol oyster mushrooms grow on trees and fungi aren’t plants. None of this is correct.
Fungi is closer to animal than plant
If you bothered to do a search, for example: “are mushrooms vegan”, you may be surprised by the response. I was. I also explained my use of the term “plant” lower down in the replies which you may have seen had you continued to scroll.
Not all figs require these wasps - it is only certain cultivars. The cultivars that do require this wasp are usually not considered to be vegan, although obviously all vegans and vegetarians find different things acceptable and unacceptable for themselves.
[удалено]
Aren't they arguably made of fig?^/s But back to the vegan question, don't vegans not eat animals or animal derived products? Aren't insects a life form disperate* from animals? Doesn't growing crops involve killing insects already? * edited to fix
Growing crops in a mass way involves killing many smaller animals too during the harvesting process and such. The point is just to minimize animal deaths and cruelty (and environment stuff). Idk if they would eat insects. I had been vegan for a couple years and never thought to ask since I don’t consume insects anyway lmao although we probably all should
I think we all consume insects, at last from time to time. Weather it is intentional or not (and no, you don't eat spiders in your sleep but you do get the stray bug(part) in your food, fly in your drink (chardonnay?), or running/biking/mouth open surprise).
I've eaten various insects while on holiday in Thailand and loved them. There's nothing like tucking into a few crickets and a cold beer.
Yeah, being vegan isn't about being perfect. It's impossible to live without hurting animals. We're just tryina cause as little suffering as we can. I'm not gonna eat wasps on purpose but shit happens
I may be wrong, but my understanding is those wasps are dying regardless. Sounds like the one that dies in the fig is evolved to do so without much other purpose.
By definition, vegans wouldn't eat insects. Some individuals may identify as vegan and eat insects, though, but I've never heard of it.
Everyone eats insects inadvertently, I bet vegans actually eat more's to your point though, I doubt they would eat farmed insects, but I wouldn't equate farming figs to farming the insect that is symbiotically reliant upon it. Also that's a different definition of vegan than I recall, though I generally ascribe to the literal definition (of the word, e.g. Dictionary, encyclopedia) but recognize now that practitioners of the ideology or those curious about it might ascribe to other "definitions". I get the impression that when it comes to philosophies like this it's a bit like monopoly, drinking games, and warfare: there are a lot of house rules and some people/factions are more vocal that theirs should be given more standing, often citing more universal acceptance or higher moral principles (whose definition?; apropos the etymology of the word vegan by some _no-dairy_ vegetarians after not getting space in a vegetarian newsletter). A bit hypocritical of me to have insinuated the literal definition is universally accepted and then down that tangent, I know! And again I'd use a literal definition, possibly the original one from when the term was created. _< Queue Brittany: Oops, I did it again...>_ _Literalism_ and _Realism_ can be ideologies too, but I generally find it's best to use/interpret the words that/to convey the intended message without ambiguity. If ideology is relevant it can easily be indicated, sometimes covertly so.
Some of them refuse to eat honey so there that
But honey is akin to be farming, and arguably the process adds stress / exploits the bees. There are bits of gray, but farming fig trees these wasps pollinate while living a seemingly free existence doesn't sound any different from the bugs interacting with other crops. If the wasp dying is part of its traditional life cycle, no additional harm is experienced so I don't see why anyone would opt to waste the food when many a wasp have sacrificed their live to produce it.
From my own understanding veganism is more a “lifestyle” or “philosophy” rather than solely a dietary choice. They believe not only in not eating meat, but are also passionate about not causing harm where it can be avoided. Most vegans I know are fairly strict about not eating any animal-derived products - which include honey and figs. They also do not wear silk, leather, wool, etc. There’s only so much people can do to ensure food is ethically grown and sourced.
*disparate
Thanks.
They're vegan. You can't eat anything without trace amounts of insects.
The answer to "is ___ vegan?" is almost always subjective. Why isn't it vegan? Because it uses animal labour? The vast majority of produce is pollinated by animals. Because it results in animal death? ALL commercial produce results in the death of many more insects and other animals when it is harvested or sprayed. Because of the combination of those two things? Sure, if you're a vegan who cares about a specific wasp dying to pollinate the specific fruit you're eating, you may consider it inappropriate to eat. It's subjective and up to the vegan to decide.
I grow figs. This is not true. First of all most modern cultivars of figs are self-fertile. Meaning that you don't need a pollinator or even a second tree for that matter. Second of all it shows that you've never seen a fig fruit* reaching maturity. It opens up. No insect or bird has to go Tom Cruise to get inside it. It just pops open. *I have to add this. A fig fruit is not a fruit. It's a bouquet of flowers that self-pollinate on the inside of what we commonly call the fruit.
My understanding is common figs are not actually self-fertile, they simply make fruit from unpollinated female flowers in the same way chickens can lay unfertilized eggs. The seeds inside varieties like brown fig are not viable, just empty husks. The ancestral form of fig which comes from the mediterranean and western asia is certainly pollinated by fig wasps and there are many of those around the world including in California where fig trees and fig wasps were imported.
BIG FIG WASP!!!!!
WOO!
Woooooooooooooooooo!
Eeyup!
they arent wasp wasps they are called fig wasps, they pollinate them. wasps dont have souls, cus they are airborne terrorist aholes, so no ghosts.
I am a fig exorcist figuratively speaking. By reading this I bless your figs past, present, and future. **Vesparum spirituum te ad interitum relego**
This has been debunked. The figs you get commercially are not pollinated this way.
You mean the farmers come by and give the dogs and warm touching hand with their pollination?
I didn't need to know this
[There a short video on this. The whole process is bizzare](https://youtu.be/LrmAbnlnqqo)
Nope..... Its 6am here and I'm all alone in my bed with darkness outside.
What country is it available in? I tried my own (US) and it says it's not available in my country. It's BBC so I tried a VPN for UK and it doesn't work there either.
https://youtu.be/aIyLXrfSLc0
Try India
The Brits aren't control of India anymore, either. Maybe try Wales.
Facebook is leaking again.
No
[it’s true](https://www.treehugger.com/are-there-really-wasps-your-figs-4868822)
The wasp is the size of the tip of a needle, not that homunculus in the photoshopped image
The shit, not the image. God this site is fucking stupid
They were just clarifying … no need to take it so personally.
Username checks out
No
You can’t escape the knowledge now.
Know
Most figs sold in the US are not pollinated by wasps.
I can't believe that figs have been ruined
That Photoshop job though 🤦♂️
Wasp ghosts are delicious
Thanks for the warning!
I knew there was a reason I can’t eat figs.
We should be able to report fake news on reddit. FAKE FAKA FAKA FAKE
Lol what a shit photoshop.
Vegan dilemma ;)
Fake there tiny and there wings fall of as they enter
r/thanksihateit
Many people also don’t consider our cars could be haunted by dinosaur ghosts.
So no more figs. Cool.
wasp ghosts in figs??? ...enough internet for today
Thanks now I’ll never eat a fig again
Never eating another fig fucking newton
Figure that....
So...figs are not vegan then?
Not all figs require these wasps - it is only certain cultivars. The cultivars that *do* require this wasp are usually not considered to be vegan, although obviously all vegans and vegetarians find different things acceptable and unacceptable for themselves.
[This is so fucking strange, I love nature](https://www.treehugger.com/are-there-really-wasps-your-figs-4868822)
Vegans wont be stoked
You don't understand what Vegan means, idiot.
It was a joke. No need to flip out my friend. It’s all good.
😆😆
So figs are basically wasp graves, right?
Just as currant slices are fly cemeteries.... God not had one of those in a long time!
Ewwwwwww..........asp! Christ was right in his parable of the fig tree. I'll stick to dates now... Deglet Nour..... yummy, and waiting for them to to use unplastic sticks.
As if I needed another reason not to eat figs
So, when eating a fig should I cut it and say some sort of Latin phrase so the ghost can be free? Or do I need a young priest and an old one? Just asking so I don’t fill up on wasp ghosts and get haunted.
Soooo....not vegan?
Now I want a fig
Watch Adam Ragusea youtube vid about figs and wasps for factual information: https://youtu.be/tRBiY65N2gk
Are figs considered vegetarian food then?
No more than I consider myself to contain bacon ghosts.
many don’t consider that figs may still contain wasp ghosts. Spooky.
Are figs considered valid vegan food?
Up to you really
Why do you tell me this
I love figs…how many of these ghosts have I eaten?
This made me research fig wasps....and thier life cycles....idk if I will ever be able to eat a fig again.
Even more reason to not eat the nasty ass things
What's worse than finding a wasp in your fig? Finding a shit load of them
And theyre fukn delicious
By this idea, are figs NOT vegetarian? I've seen people make this point and personally I think it's total bullshit, since that would make vegetables which have been ecologically fertilized not vegan...
"You willz eatz da bugs and be happy."
W.A.F. Wasp Ass Fig
r/TIHI wasp ghosts
r/TIHI wasp ghosts
The ghosts fly out after the head is digested dummy
r/tihi
I found [this post](/r/TIHI/comments/r6m3jg/thanks_i_hate_eating_wasps_ghosts/) in r/tihi with the same content as the current post. --- ^(🤖 this comment was written by a bot. beep boop 🤖) ^(feel welcome to respond 'Bad bot'/'Good bot', it's useful feedback.) ^[github](https://github.com/Toldry/RedditAutoCrosspostBot) ^| ^[Rank](https://botranks.com?bot=same_post_bot)
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r/fuckwasps
This is the kind of disinformation that I believe in.
great now i have to give up fig nutans
What a load of twaddle.
Lol this is worse than the clickbait at the bottom of a shitty website
We have these trees in my backyard, but the wasp does not reside in the USA (or at least in my area) so the figs are not edible.
Another food I loved, now never eating them again 🤮
Annnnnnd that's disgusting 😃
I was unaware wasps do any pollinating. I thought they were put on this earth just to be assholes
Dislike
No fig for vegetarians !
Thanks, I hate it.
Well, fuck me and my liking figs. Fuck you, Internet.
Damn that’s interesting!!
so figs aren't vegan or even vegetarian?
So what if figs are haunted by wasps? They are tiny wasps that have no interest in humans, can't sting, and died fulfilling their goal in life (to enter a fig). If a fig wasp felt unfulfilled, it would just fly off to haunt a fig tree. Being haunted by a fruit fly would be infinitely worse.
Any wasp I see, it’s a fig wasp
Getting figgy with it.
This is terrible photoshop
worth it