I'm lucky I don't have this problem, but many people I know have had mice leaving in the wrapped fig tree over the winter. The mice chew on the fig branches through out the winter, and the owner of the fig is up to a big surprise when the tree is unwrapped in the spring.
Anyone had this experience? how do you prevent that?

I wrap up my trees and I also place a few mice traps on either sides of each tree. I caught a few mice, but also had one infiltrate my tree and nibble (no real damage) on a branch... Can't have your cake and eat it too I guess!

Had this happen to me about 3-4 yrs ago, the limbs were about 3" diameter, the critters got in there and ate the bark completely around all three limbs effectively killing them, had to chop them down and start from scratch.

As for keeping it from happening, I've now added a good amount of mulch at the base of the winter wrapping, haven't had issues since.

Did I ever mention I shot a field mouse with 3.5in. XX buck shot from two (2) feet away?

Yes, It was in the northern part of Michigan at our hunting camp. It was at my friends property. The ground is soft and loose in that part of the state so when I blasted it and the smoke cleared it left a small crater and all there was left were its two tiny feet.

Just making suggestions.

Geez, Rafed, I hope you don't have mice in your kitchen.  You certainly wouldn't need stairs to the basement.

C.J.

Opened up the straw bale enclosure to find all limbs on all four in ground figs totally destroyed by bark chewing critters this Spring, assumed mice or rats since we also had them in the hoop.  No new growth yet.

Last winter I had loose straw around the two in- ground trees that were surrounded by straw bales and covered with plastic.  No damage last year but both were killed to the ground.  Regrew last summer but only a few ripe figs.

Only partially covered one tree with loose straw in the hoop addition this past winter, then draped with floating row covered.  All limbs were destroyed by mice/rats.  Some nearly chewed in two.  New growth from roots on that tree now.

We've since been putting out poison after they got too sly for traps.  Last summer the mice ate more figs from the trees in the hoop than I got to eat.  Last check for ripe figs in the evening and I would tell myself, "I'll pick and eat that fig in the morning", only to find the mice had beat me to it the next morning.  They wouldn't eat the whole fig, just ruin it for me, and do that to every ripe fig on the tree.  Mice love Italian Honey figs!!!

I am fair shot with a 22 rifle, but I don't think I would be safe in the hoop with a shotgun.  Nearly split my sides laughing over that basement joke, jenia.

Be safe, ya'll.

Elizabeth,

Remind me to tell you about my neighbor with a 12 gauge, a keg of beer, and squirrels in his attic.  Truth is stranger than fiction.  That one brought the State Troopers out.

C.J.

C.J.

Speaking of kitchen.

When I was much younger ( around 10 yrs old ) I lived in Detroit. My parents bought me a BB gun.
One night when I was watching TV my mother yelled Rafed Rafed! I said what mom? She said there's a mouse in the garbage can and he's trying to climb out, Hurry! So I ran upstairs to get my beloved BB rifle and ran down as quick as I can and there he was, Speedy Gonzales was trying to climb out but he couldn't.

I took a shot and missed then I took the second shot and hit him in the head, It was a fatal shot! LMAO!

I posted this in 2008 when I never had any problems with mice, but the following year they ate all my trees.
The best way to keep them out, is using moth balls. I placed them in containers and made holes in them. placed a couple container around each tree before i wrapped them. They didn't come near the tree since I did that.

Going to have to remember that....moth ball containers.....I like it!

Moth balls are what we traditionally use in classic cars and trucks that get left out in the shed.  Keeps them from nesting in the heater vents, glovebox, engine bay, etc.

But stinks like hell if you forget to take them out of the vents ;)

When I dig my trench I put mice pellet's on the ground where I lay my tree.

Hey Bass,

 Ive seen pics where people wrap the bottom third of your tree trunk  with aluminum foil before wraping up for winter.

Regards
Geo

I've seen it done with aluminum foil... but that's way too much work for me... I'm sure these mice can work bark below the aluminum.

I put cat hair from my cats brush all around my fig trees when they are asleep in the greenhouse over winter.  I just assumed mice would love the greenhouse during the winter, so I have always put the hair near the trees and so far, never any mice.

Plus my cat is a ridiculous hunter and he catches all kinds of mice and birds during the year.  Good for my garden, bad for wildlife.

Now if he could just catch squirrels....

Nas

Sounds like the mothballs are a great solution to the mice problem Bass. I'm not crazy about the smell of that stuff but I'd sure use it to protect my fig trees from rodentia.

I've heard that mice may also have an aversion to chewing through steel wool. So I'd say it might come in handy for plugging up some smaller holes where needed. Haven't tried it yet myself, just heard that it works.

A word of caution about using mothballs in confined spaces. Apparently the vapor is flammable.

Makes you wonder just what kind of moths they get them from and how they are harvested.....?!    Give it a moment to sink in :) .