Man, it is so disappointing....
Some creatures discovered the figs and hit every night.
I tried the organza bags, they are useless; plastic bottles, it was removed with a fig inside and eaten out; Tabasco spray, no help; Coyote urine, no help; paper bags, well, the figs are gone.
What really drives me nuts that they bite the ripe and the green figs, I can see the holes the vermin leave.
I believe it is either the rats or similar size animals.

Any suggestions what to do? I have not tried a ripe fig for a while by now :(

rat traps!  I felt bad, as I caught a robin in one of the traps, so they could be the culprit also. or bring them inside to ripe if they are small.  I have a couple of pots in my porch now, after 3 of the 4 figs are gone.   Get a dog! I think as the tree grows bigger the problem gets smaller, or how would the fig farmers do?

Try a small have a heart trap with cheese, lettuce, carrots, and figs in it. You can then dispose if what ever it is as you see fit.

Looks like you've tried everything else...

 

Sounds like a raccoon to me.

Scarecrow motion detection sprinkler. I have 2 but have yet to deploy them. I will probably buy one more this fall/winter when they are on clearance.
There is quite a bit of funny YouTube out there with them.

I cover them with white tissues, no one knows what is inside :P

It may irk some of the PETA types......but I have heard if you do a google search for coke fly raccoon that there could be a recipe that might help.  Illegal of course.  Say 2/3 of a cup of the product to a can of sugary coke...........  Works like a charm.  And for those that say it is cruel.....I think it is better than shooting.  It kills in mere seconds and the critter won't go far, maybe 100 feet max.  Saturate chocolate chip cookies with it which works even better perhaps?  Cats won't touch it, some dogs will or so I have heard so take precautions.  Possums do eat it and will go 150 feet sometimes, apparently they are a bit tougher.........    Protect children......though the stuff stinks so I doubt that is an issue.  

Again just something I have heard, not like I have used it for decades or anything.   

Thanks!

Grasa, I tried the rat traps. After the first trap was triggered, I found some fur in it but no kill. That was 5 days ago. Since than nobody is touching the traps, they learn fast :(
Dog is the best solution but the dog cannot be outside at night, raccoons or coyotes will get it. We have many notes around the town about the missing cats and small dogs. My wife would be against a large dog for sure.

Mike, I might set the different size traps with different kinds of food in them. Sooner or later I should get somebody. Or maybe a fig will get me the biggest catch !

Frank, I like your approach!! That's what I need! :)

Calvin, I have a Scarecrow. It works well in the middle of a lawn. My pots are by the house and around the porch, it is harder there. Also, I found that it doesn’t detect a rat, and if it is detected, the rat just sits behind a pot and waits when the water is off and keeps going. Those bastards are just too smart.

Speedmaster, the smell of a ripening fig is hard to cover with a tissue, unfortunately. 


So, I think I will need to set more traps with different baits. I also will try to use this copper mesh to make the metal organza bags. It might help a little, I hope.
http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Mesh-Rats-Birds-Control-copper/dp/B0001IMLTY

WillsC, now we are talking !! 
I think I am dealing with some smaller animals here, not the raccoons,  but I wander if this mix would get a rat. Of course, if a rat dies under my house or nearby and will start smelling dead, I would be dealing with something really nasty… 

green fig,
I am currently having great success with those little solar units that have blinking red lights that activate when it gets dark. You have to remember to move them occasionally and place at different levels for different critters. Your problem may also be a possum. I have 3 types. I like the "Solar Nite Eyes" the best but "Aspectek Predator Eye Nighttime Animal Repeller" are the least expensive. I also have the "Nite Guard Solar NG-001 Predator Control Light". How well they will work in the future is unknown, but right now they are very effective. 

Besides the extreme liability and criminal issues involved in using illegal poisons the fact that dumping a strong toxin that can cause your children and neighbors to experience neurological problems from the polluted ground water is pretty hard to justify.

There is a 22 caliber round made without gun powder. The primer alone has the ability to send the bullet out with enough energy to kill a raccoon at short yardage. They are fairly quiet and will not travel far. You can literally shoot one in the house and it won't travel through thick card board or sheet rock.

Michael,

Let me look up the red lights. That might be what I need!

• A constant flash of light to all animals that hunt or feed at night that they have been "discovered" or are being watched.

Had a 4 year old kid die in the Bronx in April after drinking something out of a can he found. It had poison in it.

I feel your pain.  Easy to see when a bird gets to a fig.  They don't eat the entire thing.  Always something left, but larger creatures will destroy the bags or anything protective.  What we sometimes forget is that these creatures can smell fruit even if they can't see it.  I lost a ton of ripe Verte to something like a rat or raccoon or possum.  Who knows?  Good news, Verte is loaded with tons of baby figlets, so I might get another chance.

Suzi

Rich, that ’s horrible although I think we should blame the parents since the kid was little.

Suzi, we are paying the price to live in the claimed desert land. The animals rule, we are basically the temporary tenants here :(
My Paradiso is covered in tiny figlets too! But, unless I find how to protect them, I highly doubt I will eat the figs. I have not tried a VdB, Tena and St.Rita this year, all gone.
I am really pissed now, so much energy and nothing to show.

I have 3 trap sizes and I have been relocating animals per my borough's ordinances for over a year now. Knock on wood. I have not had issues with fruit or vegetables being taken.

I installed a motion detector cam in my orchard to see the exact moment they take a bite. Am waiting for the results any second...

I have one of these that helps me determine whats visiting. http://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-Low-Glow-Game-Camera/dp/B00AP311JQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407876956&sr=8-1&keywords=trail+cameras

Anybody has the motion activated lights?
Can they be triggered by a small animal like a possum or a rat?
Can you recommend the ones you like?

Like one of those?
http://www.amazon.com/Frostfire-Wireless-Weatherproof-batteries-required/dp/B0074KDGL4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MEH5CKQK1ZM9Y7Q104C

I think the light might deter the 4 legged intruders. 
Or I am wrong here?

I'm wondering if an electric fence might discourage it. Circle the area to protect with plastic stakes, spiral the wire up them with a couple of inches of space between, and duct tape it in place. My neighbor had a bull that was getting out. It was going through some pretty impressive fences. He found a fence charger that would stop it. That one would probably fry a squirrel or possum. I could get make and model if you want to try it.

If you know anyone that has a trail cam it does take the guess work out of it.    If it is a raccoon I doubt blinking lights would deter it for long, they are pretty smart.  They also get trap shy fast, you may get the young and dumb ones.  If it is a coon and you don't want to use poison there are also Duke dog proof traps.  They work perfectly and will only catch coons, possums and skunks.  Until you know exactly what critter you are dealing with it is hard to make suggestions.  You can also from harbor freight buy a device called a driveway alarm, $14 on sale.  You put the motion and heat activated sensor where your figs are and the other unit inside.  When a critter is sensed it makes a tone in the house and you can flip the lights on and see what the animal is.  It is what I use here to deal with the armadillos.

Igor, I remember seeing someone use a rubber snake on their figs or in close proximity to them.  Cheap alternative.  If that doesn't work, a ghillie suit, a .22LR, and a lawn chair will do the trick.

 
I mean, we are talking about figs, right?

greenfig - no motion sensor - light is constant. They blink. I have 4 and today ordered 2 more and another motion sensor light for 14 bucks. I have 3 other ms lights but I have them so I can see at night. The new one I'll place amongst the figs and get more if I like it.

You could try 22 cal shot shells - they work great on mice, rats and fairydiddles (chipmunks).

Willis is right about coons in that they are very smart but I have always had issues with them up until I put these lights up about 5 weeks ago.

Willis - great idea. I have a driveway alarm sitting in a box. Never thought about that. The things is incredibly loud though. May have to wrap in a towel, or . . .

I have 3 motion sensitive lcd lights that are D battery powered that are not super bright but they are dependable and the batteries last over a year. The issue is the wind blowing the figs and setting off the lights.

I also have an electric fence charger and just one wire will stop deer - but deer are not the problem and most critters will figure out the fence pretty quickly. You also have to be really careful about any grounding issues. You'll drain it easitly if even one wire touches wet grass.
And if you live in the burb's you must put signs up and you assume a certain amount of liability. My charger is a weak one but I have had ones in the past that could hurt someone. I find that electric fencing works extremely well on larger stuff but does little to stop clever (coons) or persistent and extremely tough (possums) things and I doubt an electric fence would have any effect on wood rats, etc. 

Havaheart type traps work pretty well (especially for catching the neighbor's cat) but be careful, i.e. watch out for law enforcement as trapping and transporting and releasing certain animals (especially the ones considered vectors for rabies) can be illegal and sometimes the penalties are steep.

I thought I had a bird problem last week when my LSU purple started spitting out figs. Got the organza bags and found them all over the ground the next morning with half chewed up figs. After using my spider sense I found rat droppings along the top rail of the fence right next to my fig plant. Deployed rat poison, 4 rat traps and 2 large sticky traps. Haven't caught anything yet but 2 of my traps have been sprung and one is completely gone. It's probably still hanging on to what ever it was. The sticky trap was on the ground by my plant with a long drag mark across it this morning and I can detect the smell of a dead rat some where in the corner of the yard. For all my efforts I was able to share 6 ripe figs with two youngest sons last night and many more are ripening as we speak. These dang rats also ate one of my 3 Lychee fruits I had on my plants a month ago. Metal window screen from HD stapled around them did the trick. You could see chew marks where they tried to get through it but couldn't.

I just found 3 figs half eaten in the greenhouse and i have to leave tomorrow. When i get home