I have been having those pesky ants and wasps lately attacking my figs a couple days before they are ripe causing me to pick them way  before they are ready .<BR>My wife noticed a ziplock bag I had over a ripening fig ( which doesnt work well because they sweat and hold water if it rains and cant close very well around the stem ) and said why dont you use a sachet ?<BR>A what ?<BR>A sachet because it breathes . <BR>A what ?<BR>And they are cheap ( 3-5 per dollar at any dollar store ).<BR>What the heck is a sachet ?<BR><BR>Sometimes the better half knows better .<BR><BR>[IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb362/johnparav/IMG_1487.jpg[/IMG]<BR><BR>[IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb362/johnparav/IMG_1486.jpg[/IMG]<BR><BR>[IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb362/johnparav/IMG_1510.jpg[/IMG]<BR><BR>John<BR><BR><BR>

John
If I laugh, it would not be at what you have done.
I will be laughing at my impatience because my figs at this stage will be long gone and eaten. My best ones are the one which I can't see behind the leaves and ripen to the right stage.

I did this to my apples on small tree but raccoon took car e of it anyway.

John no laughing from me, I've been fighting my own war. Look like you've got them whipped at this point. I might have to give that a try and see if it also discourages the birds and the rat.
"gene"

I use them when hybridizing to keep the flower from getting contaminated

My family and friends already think I lost my mind.
This will only scare the H&ll out of them.

"This boy done went to Victorias Secrets and bought some lacy lingerie for his figs!"

NLOL.

You can also find these bags in stores like Target and Wal-Mart, now that some of them have their (gasp) Christmas supplies out.  They are $1 here (well they were last year), and come in sizes such as shown above or even larger for wine bottles.   Great use for them!!

Congratulations John, your figs qualify for best dressed of the year. this is a great idea!!

I might just have to sachet on down to Wa....  Just saying!

I see how they can help out with ants and wasps, but what about the furry critters?  A couple of years, I had the brainy idea of making some of that fancy hooch with the pear in the bottle.  I proceeded to tie 5 or 6 bottles around some baby pears early in the season.  Went well until most of the other pears had been harvested by the hairy beasts.  Then one day found the bottles on the ground.  The cords had been eaten through and the stems broken.  The immature pears were still in the bottles, but everything was on the ground and two bottles broken. 

I tried making big "sleeves" out of similar material to cover individual branches. I would fasten the end closest to the trunk with wire twist ties, and then gather the outer end and close it with a clothespin. It worked for a short time, and then the woodpeckers and other birds found that they could just hammer away at the cloth and make holes in it. But, if your only pest problems are ants and other bugs, it looks like you've found a great solution!

Bumped this thread because have read of people complaining about wasps . Works for me especially for the varieties that I have only 1 or 2 and want to make sure I get a chance to try . John

John, 
      Sorry about the bad focus. Is this the wasp you are having trouble with? I don't know the name but as soon as my buddy who runs the VA Tech Insect ID Lab returns from vacation I'll ask. They only bother my non white figs. They are very aggressive even at night and although the sting isn't really that painful it seems to last a long time.

Thanks for bumping. This seems like a good idea. I just purchased some on ebay. Search for 'organza gift bags'. They come in numerous colors and several sizes. I got 3 inch by 4 inch (which is probably too small), but they also come in 4X6. I just ordered 50 for about $5 and free shipping. Sold by USA seller.

These are the ones around here, number 9 and 10.
http://top10hm.com/top-10-deadliest-bugs-insects/

plus ants, which got their first 3 figs today.

Grant,
Are you saying those are guarding your figs?

9 and 10, not guarding, eating. So far they have only been attracted to one variety, the ants snuck up on me before I got the tangle foot necklace on that particular tree.

Grant , I also now use tanglefoot for ants it's great stuff . Michael , the ones here are the yellow jackets mainly .

Yea I get those also - nasty buggers but they don't actually pick a fig and guard it as long as they can - a week even while they nibble on it - makes night time fig picking a bit iffy.