My daughter called today and she has red ants in one of her potted figs. She has cyprus mulch topping the pot . I had absolutly no clue to get rid of them . Does anyone have any solutions that would be ok for the figs and get rid of those buggers?

Wrap the trunk tightly with electrical tarp (sticky side out), then smearthe tape with petroleum jelly. Put the container into a larger and fill with water so the container is completely submerged and the water level falls at the middle of the tape. Leave for several hours . When you see a ball of ants floating in the water, fill the bucket so the water flows over the edge ( the tape / petroleum jelly should be higher than the top of the bucket). Leave for another hour to make sure no more ants float to the top.

James , thanks so much . I'm hoping she can do this - she has a severe allergic reaction to the bites.
 

I have done this in the past. The tape protects the bark from the petroleum jelly. The ants will want to climb the trunk, but will not cross the petroleum jelly. Also, should remove as much of the mulch before hand. There should be a minimum of stuff floating in the water. The idea is to flush the queen out. When the queen is out, the other ants will surround her and. Keep her from drowning.

If the ants do not otherwise bother her, she could just wrap the trunk and apply the petroleum jelly when the fruit is about half ripe. They will not cross to get to the fruit. In either scenario, check for things the ants can use as a bridge to climb beyond the barrier.

Thanks again James. I'm thinking she will leave them alone . She was freaking out when I told her your first suggestion.  :/   I'll tell her to make sure she does the barrier though before the fruit ripens . It's not a large tree so she should be able to wrap the main trunk.
I really appreciate all your help. 

I'll check all her potted figs when we get down there and will do as you suggest if they took up residence :)

Here's a new trick I learned from someone. Throw orange peels around your potted fig. They will be gone within a day or two. I tried it and it actually works.

Pattee,
Sprinkle (Salt) the top of the container with coffee grounds. It works for most ants, but I've never used it on red ants (don't have red ants). It causes colony collapse.
Good Luck.

I was going to suggest Cinnamon!...Just sprinkle all over the dirt and let it be there, Ants hate Cinnamon.
But I like James's solution best.

Thanks guys ! I'm sure she'll be trying ALL of them lol !! I've written down all the suggestions for future reference in my fig journal too- memory's not what it used to be ...
Any solutions for that ???!!!  ;)

Wow james, and others those are good things to try!  I get them in some of my pots too.  Thanks.

I was thinking a diluted solution of boric acid.  Or just sprinkled on top and wait, that way you can remove most of it later.  Now, be aware, I have not tried this!  But boric acid is what I use to repel insects from my home.  

The water trick works great. I have never used it on larger trees, but I do use it on smaller trees, house plants, and garden transplants that have bugs that I dont want around. The only difference is that I use some sort of mild soap in the water like plain Dawn or Basic H. The soap acts as a surfactant so the little buggers do not float and drowns them pretty fast. I have a really tall bucket (probably about 7 gallons) that I can put small trees into and submerge the whole thing, I push them to the bottom and put a rock on top of the soil to stop the floating. I give them about 30 minutes and then take them out and then rinse/flush thoroughly with clean water. If you can submerge your plant this will take care of any foliage pest like mites, aphids, white flys, ants....I haven't used it for scale, they might need a bit longer.

Don, I would suggest not using boric acid/Borax. While Boron is a vital micronutrient, it is required in extremely small amounts. I seem to remember reading too much can be very detrimental to your plants.

I've used the cinnamon with success. I also put cinnamon on all the newly uppotted cuttings to repel gnats.