Do Fig Trees Need Wasps?

There are four types of figs: Caprifigs, Smyrna, San Pedro and common types. Each type has a distinct method of pollination. Without pollination, fig blooms will not develop. Caprifigs produce inedible fruit and are only used as a pollen source. Smyrna and San Pedro fig trees require the pollen of the Caprifig and the presence of fig wasps to bloom. In the case of both of these species, only the tiny fig wasp is able penetrate the enclosed inflorescence and propagate the fig. In turn, these wasps require the fig as a breeding space - they can actually breed no where else. Each species is completely dependent on the other for survival. Self-pollinating common fig trees do not require Caprifigs or fig wasps to bloom. Common figs cultivars, with a closed ostiole, are recommended for residential use.

References:
University of Florida IFAS Extension: The Fig; Peter C. Andersen and Timothy E. Crocker, March 1994
Purdue University: Fig; Julia F. Morton; 1987
Why My Fig Tree Doesn't Bloom