I know most of us know about this product but for <<<New Members>>> this stops ants and bugs that do not fly from crawling up and into your figs.

1 time of biteing into a fig with ants years back i started to use this each year and have no more problems since.

Ingredients are

Good ole Castor oil
Vegtable Wax
Natural Gum Resins

Best Health

How about using hot sauce on a few of the figs. This way when the birds try to eat them they will learn not to eat the other figs.

one of my relatives once planted hot peppers to stop the squirrels from eating her peppers...

Hi Dan,
i like the Tangle Beak phrase!
For birds i really do not know as i have not ran across that problem yet.
I currently have 2 bird house attached to shed that im going to take down this year as i have seen a few birds landing on the fig trees lately.
Two of my dogs chase them away when they land on the ground if they see them but don't notice them in the trees in seems.

Hot sauce soounds interesting but not sure if the following years birds will learn unless used all the time, but it brought back a memory of last year as my neighbor grow a vegatable garden (we both do) he has wooden fence and them pesky wabbitts always get there share from him.
Well last year they actually were eating his hungarian hot wax peppers and leaving there droppings nearby, i would have thought they learn there lesson but it went on for the better part of the season. Anyways he is getting chainlink fence on his other side and back of yard and it stopped them in my yard from coming in so far and maybe they also will for him.
On another note i posted this thread on the other forum and someone asked about putting tanglefoot directly on tree.

Here is my reply

Gene,
yes i use it directly on trees i did use tape several times but i stopped to messy for me. I see no ill to the tree other than it making a black ring that seems to stay there on trunk, in this picture you can see it along with a piece of old tape that actually stuck and has been there several years easily.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3368499

I dont recommend doing it to anyone so later they say it harmed there tree.

Here is what it says on tube of tanglefoot

1. Fasten tangle guard banding material (waterproof paper or similar wrapping material around trunk. Place out of reach of children or pets.
Note: On rough bark trees, plug all gaps under band with cotton batting or similar material. Do not apply directly to tree.
2.
Apply tree tanglefoot pest barrier over banding. Remove cap and apply directly from tube. Apply pressure from bottom of tube to dispense. Use putty knife or disposable paddle to spread 3" wide by 3/16" thick.
3.
When sticky area becomes covered with insects, or other debris, remove banding and repeat steps 1 and 2.

Disposal: Remove all bands after insect season. Wrap in newspaper and discard in trash. Do not reuse empty container. Clean tools with mineral spirits.
End of tube instructions, for me i just spread with flexible plastic cut from a coffee lid in a thinner layer on fig trees and use putty knife and thicker layer on regular yard trees like my elm tree and do this directly on all the trees. No i dont recommend doing it but if your daring go for it!
As stated there 3 simply ingredients on tube that dont seem harmful but thats just my thought.
Natural Gum Resins
Castor Oil
Vegtable Wax

Best Health
Martin

Dan,
I wouldn't have much hope for the hot sauce idea.  I've seen bird seed for sale that includes capsaicin in it to help ward off squirrels -- but the birds can't taste it, so doesn't stop them from eating the seed.

Dan according to Wikipedia some predators include snakes, owls and hawks.
I have seen large plastic real like looking Owls in garden centers.
Would be neat to find or somehow construct one that is sound activated and spins its head and Hoots im sure that would scare the bejesus out of them.

Dan, I've had some success with small drawstring muslin bags, and nylon footies on individual fruits.  It seems to help with the birds, but does little to stop the squirrels.  The main problem I found was knowing when the fruit was ready to pick.  I'd forget to give them the gentle squeeze test, since the visual wasn't there to remind me.

Dan,
thanks for shareing that story about your friend.
I know what i would do then about those birds and have no remorse, what i like about the air rifle is it is much quiet compared to a shot gun which i have been inclined to pick up at times when i used to see what the wabbits did in my veggie garden years back as they were sneaky at night. Problem is solved though with the chainlink fence. I still see them out front and they best stay , as for squirrels i have only seen several, one that would tease my large dog by making his funny noise and running atop the scallop wood fence we used to have and it drove Butch nuts as it was like a game for the squirrel.
If they would come in numbers and tear at the fig plants well they would be an easy target for the old scatter gun and good material to decay buried deep in garden for the bugs to munch on or i learn how to cook them like i saw on the food channels.

Thanks, guys for all these info.

I'm new to this forum, so I hope I'm doing this correctly.

Regarding tanglefoot on very young trees, I used to apply a band of it directly to the bark (to stop leafcutter ants) until it killed a tree. To avoid contact with the bark, I found that if I take a styrofoam bowl and make a straight cut from the outside edge to the center, and then cut a hole in the center (a little larger than the tree trunk), I can mount it on the trunk by overlapping the cut edges until it's snug against the bark, and taping it in place, kind of like a little umbrella. Then I apply the tanglefoot to the underside of the rim of the bowl. Applying it to the underside seems to keep dust and debris from sticking in the goo, so it stays sticky a lot longer.

Vinnlahr,
on there website you can email them for location nearest you, here is link to that particular page, ive seen it online as well but watch what you pay for it.
The largest is 25lb bucket of it, if memory serves me its 3 or 4 dollars for a 6oz tube i bought at local nursery.
Contact The Tanglefoot Company


Best Health

Thanks Martin
Vince

I used the squeeze boric acid poison put near the area, they come, eat it, and give it to the queen, no more ants.

Loslunasfarms
What does this do to the soil if you put it in the pot? What effect if any does it have on humans? Can you you use it in the kitchen? Where do you get it?
Vince

Actually, I have put it on my orange tree since it was filled with those egg sacs. The ants love sugarry stuff, so as far as my research shows, the best way is thru use of boric acids.

Yes, I have used it in my kitchen as shown on the label. The one i buy is available at your home improvement stores and looks like a big syringe.

here is a neat link:

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/antbait267.shtml

Ant Species Controlled by Baits:

• Argentine ants (sweet bait)
• Big-headed ants (sweet and grease bait)
• Little black ants (sweet and grease baits)
• Pavement ants (sweet and grease baits)
• Pharaoh ants (use hydramethylnon bait)
• Odorous house ants (sweet bait)
• Small honey ants (sweet bait)

The following baits are registered for ant control:

• Terro® (OTC) | gel | boric acid/sugars
• Pic® liquid (OTC) | gel | boric acid/sugars
• Drax® Ant Kil Gel (PRO) | gel | boric acid/sugars/apple/mint (sugar-feeding ants)
• Drax®-FP (PRO) | gel | boric acid with peanut butter/oil (protein and grease-feeding ants)
• MAXFORCE | gel, granules | hydramethylnon

Re: Where to buy Tanglefoot.

I emailed the company to find a retailer selling it. True Value Hardware stores carry it. If not in stock they will order it for you. I bought the small tub size. $8.45. Hope this helps.

Peg

Peg
Thanks we have a True Value close by. I will check them out.
Vince