Last year it was wasps attacking my (alleged) Gene Vashon. This year it's ants on both my Italian Purple and unidentified TbF (Tasty but Fussy). The last fruit attacked on TbF wasn't even fully ripe - it was only just starting to ripen. Aarrrgghhh. I'm almost starting to wonder if it's worth the constant hassle.

But before I raze the whole lot to the ground, do members have any other ideas for controlling these $#&*%rs, aside from fruit tree grease and gauze bags?

Seven dust around the base covered with foil seems to work excellent. I usually spray now to control aphids and scale that are attracting the ants and it kills all three.

Read on here from another member here, sorry forgot who, but cinnamon around the base and in pots too. I've tried it and it seems to work. I was able to get a battaglia green Breba before the ants did.

Benny using a combination of Tanglefoot and Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade with success. I've also experimented with coffee grounds and cinnamon with success to a certain degree.

A spray of Tabasco sauce mixture helped me to get rid of mine.
It was a side effect since I was spraying against the squirrels

Diatomaceious earth works well, if it gets wet you need to re apply, also re apply every 3-5 days when you see activity of ants, I killed a colony of carpenter ants  like this very easily in a couple of weeks.  I just have to figure out how to get them out of my pots.

JD actually likes the ants on the citrus trees.  They lead him to the pests, so he knows where to spray, but I'm not a fan of ants on fig trees, even though I know scale can be a pest on figs.  I noticed a ton of ants on my Paradiso yesterday, so I'm going down there with my cinnamon shaker today.

We get mealy bugs on the citrus, and a blast of water gets most of them.  I don't think they attack figs, but all these suggestions are good!

Suzi

@ Hershall - I assume your sprays are basically pesticides of one sort or another? I might go down that route as a last resort, but generally I prefer not to introduce poison on something that we're gonna eat. But thx for the suggestion anyway - appreciated.

@ the rest - all sound like safer options to me, so I'll be sure to try some (or maybe even all) of these ideas eventually. Thx fellas.

Now where's that duct tape?

@ greenfig  

So of the suggested solutions for which I have materials ready to hand, I could try any or all of the following:

1. Shake cinnamon powder around the base of the tree (but what happens after rain - reapply?).
2. Duct tape around the trunk.
3. Spray the fruit with a tabasco solution. Again, reapply after rain?

Have I got that about right?

And longer term, I can get hold of diatomaceous earth and/or Tanglefoot. 

Costas,

My mixture was 1 tbsp per spray bottle, i think about 2 quarts. I sprayed around the base of the trees inside pots and around the pots. There were quite a few ant trails and none now.
When you spray, do not stand against the wind :) it will be like breathing the fire !

@ Otmani - That was Eukofios' idea at #3 above:

I start with Permethrin, it is labeled to be sprayed in a horses face and over the top of chickens. It is lethal to most small insects but not citrus mealies. Ants are dead in a few seconds. I it can be sprayed over horses any you know how fussy there owners can be and rightfully so. I consider it safe and I use it sparingly. I don't think I would spray fruit that I would be eating soon but around the roots and pots and ants are history. Otherwise I spray everything if needed. Always it is a judgement call, no more than needed.

Thx Otmani. That's one solution I'm def. gonna try. By the time I get it tho., several more of my figs are gonna bite the dust. I wanted to try some of the other ideas in the meantime coz I already have the necessary ingredients.

Costas,

I reapply when I see ants again. We have been getting T-showers almost everyday and I'm not reapplying everyday. I'm also thinking of brushing some of the cinnamon onto the bottom of the trunk up about 3-4 inches.

@ Hershell - Not quite sure what you mean by furry horse owners. But that aside, your pesticide sounds like it might be safe after a while because I assume from its name that it's pyrethrin-based. So might well give it a go as a last resort. Still prefer to try the non-toxic ideas first tho. 

@ twovkay - logical as ever.

Ants don't like mint. I haven't tried putting mint around a fig tree but it might work

@ BLB 

Just my luck. Amazon UK is out of stock re. Tanglefoot. They have some VITAX grease tho, which I assume is similar? In which case, might as well use some grease I might still have in the garage from a couple years ago.

@ twovkay - How do you get cinnamon to stay on the trunk?

Fussy. Very protective.

@ Hershell