How To Keep Birds Out Of Fig Trees – 7 Humane & Proven Methods To Save

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

There’s a special kind of heartbreak every gardener knows. You’ve watched your fig tree all season, tending to it, watering it, and dreaming of those sweet, jammy fruits. They’re just days from perfect ripeness… and then you see it. A flock of birds has descended, leaving you with a collection of pecked, half-eaten figs.

If you’ve ever felt that frustration, please know you’re not alone. It’s a classic gardener’s struggle! But I promise you, there is a better way. You don’t have to surrender your delicious harvest to your feathered neighbors.

In this complete guide, we’re going to walk through everything you need to know about how to keep birds out of fig trees. We’ll explore seven proven, practical, and humane methods, from impenetrable physical barriers to clever scare tactics that work with nature. Get ready to reclaim your crop and finally enjoy the sweet rewards of your hard work.

Why Birds Can’t Resist Your Fig Tree (And Why You Need a Plan)

Before we dive into the solutions, it helps to understand the “why.” Why are your figs the hottest restaurant in town for local birds? It’s simple: figs are the perfect bird food.

They are packed with sugar, providing a massive energy boost. Their skin is soft and easy to pierce, and they are full of water, which is especially attractive during hot, dry weather. Birds like mockingbirds, jays, starlings, and robins have an uncanny ability to know the exact moment a fig reaches peak sweetness.

This is why having a plan is so crucial. The key to success is to act before your figs become the main attraction. Once birds establish your tree as a reliable food source, it’s much harder to convince them to leave. This is one of the most important how to keep birds out of fig trees tips you can learn.

The Gold Standard: Protecting Figs with Physical Barriers

When you absolutely, positively cannot lose another fig, a physical barrier is your most reliable defense. This approach focuses on making it physically impossible for birds to reach the fruit. It’s a direct solution to one of the most common problems with how to keep birds out of fig trees.

Bird Netting: The Most Effective Solution

If I could only recommend one method, it would be bird netting. When installed correctly, it is nearly 100% effective. Don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds!

How to Do It Right:

  1. Choose the Right Net: Look for a durable, UV-resistant polypropylene netting with a mesh size of about 3/4 inch. This is small enough to stop most fruit-eating birds but large enough to let pollinators through.
  2. Create a Frame (Pro Tip!): For best results, avoid draping the net directly onto the tree’s branches. This can trap birds and damage leaves. Instead, create a simple frame with PVC pipes, bamboo stakes, or wooden posts around the tree to hold the netting away from the foliage.
  3. Secure the Bottom: This is the most important step! Drape the netting over your frame or tree and secure it tightly at the base around the trunk. You can use zip ties, garden staples, or simply weigh it down with rocks or bricks. Any gaps will be an open invitation for clever birds.

A crucial part of this how to keep birds out of fig trees care guide is to check your netting daily to ensure no birds or other wildlife have become trapped.

Organza Bags: For Protecting Individual Figs

If you have a smaller tree or don’t want to net the entire thing, organza bags are a fantastic alternative. These are the little mesh bags often used for wedding favors, and they are a gardener’s secret weapon!

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Simply slip a bag over a single developing fig or a small cluster and pull the drawstring tight. The mesh allows for sunlight and air circulation while providing perfect protection. It’s a bit more work, but it’s incredibly effective and looks quite charming in the garden.

Scare Tactics: Using Visual Deterrents to Your Advantage

Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense—or at least, the illusion of one. Visual deterrents work by creating an environment that feels unsafe for birds, encouraging them to find a more peaceful place to dine.

The Power of Reflection: Scare Tape and CDs

Birds are easily startled by sudden flashes of light and unpredictable movement. You can use this to your advantage with simple, reflective materials.

Hang strips of iridescent “scare tape” (also called flash tape) or old CDs from the branches of your fig tree. As the wind blows, they will spin and flash in the sun, creating a disorienting light show that birds dislike. It’s an easy and inexpensive first line of defense.

Predator Decoys: Owls, Hawks, and Snakes

Placing a realistic-looking predator decoy, like a plastic owl or hawk, can be effective… with one major catch. Birds are incredibly smart! If that owl sits in the exact same spot on the exact same branch for a week, they will quickly realize it’s a fake.

The secret to success with decoys is to move them every single day. Place the owl on a different branch, move the snake to the base of the tree, or shift the hawk to a nearby fence post. This constant change mimics the behavior of a real predator and keeps the birds on their toes.

A Sustainable Approach: Eco-Friendly Ways to Keep Birds Away

For many of us, the goal is not to eliminate birds from our gardens entirely, but to live in harmony with them. A sustainable how to keep birds out of fig trees strategy focuses on gentle persuasion and redirection rather than exclusion.

Plant a “Trap Crop” or Diversion Garden

This is a wonderfully clever, eco-friendly how to keep birds out of fig trees method. The idea is to plant something that birds love even more than your figs, but located in a different part of your yard.

Good choices for a trap crop include sunflowers (for their seeds), elderberries, serviceberries, or mulberries. By providing an easier, more appealing food source away from your prized figs, you can often convince them to leave your tree alone.

Provide an Alternative Water Source

During hot summer days, birds aren’t just hungry; they’re also thirsty. They will often peck at soft fruits like figs simply to get moisture. You can help solve this problem by placing a bird bath in your yard, well away from your fig tree.

Keeping it filled with fresh, clean water provides an easy hydration station for birds, potentially reducing their interest in your juicy figs. It’s a win-win: the birds get a drink, and you get to keep your fruit.

Your Complete Guide on How to Keep Birds Out of Fig Trees: Best Practices

Knowing the individual methods is one thing, but applying them like a seasoned pro is another. This is where we tie everything together into a cohesive strategy. Following these how to keep birds out of fig trees best practices will dramatically increase your success rate.

The Art of Timing is Everything

Do not wait until you see pecked fruit to take action. The best time to install your deterrents—whether it’s netting, scare tape, or decoys—is when the figs are fully formed but still green and hard. You want your defenses in place before the birds even identify your tree as a potential buffet.

The Combination Strategy: Your Strongest Defense

The single most effective strategy is to use more than one method at a time. Birds can adapt to a single deterrent, but they are much less likely to brave a multi-layered defense system. A great combination is to use netting as your primary physical barrier and supplement it with a few strips of scare tape for added visual confusion.

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Think of it as creating an environment of uncertainty. A bird might be willing to test a net, but a net that also has scary, flashing lights near it might be too much of a risk.

A Simple Fig Tree Care Guide for a Healthy Harvest

A healthy, well-maintained tree is an easier tree to protect. Pruning your fig tree in the late winter helps maintain a manageable size and an open structure. This not only improves air circulation and fruit production but also makes it significantly easier to install and remove bird netting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keeping Birds Out of Fig Trees

What kind of birds eat figs?

A wide variety of birds enjoy figs! The most common culprits include American Robins, Mockingbirds, Starlings, Blue Jays, and House Finches. The specific species will depend on your geographical location, but the protective measures in this guide are effective against all of them.

Will scare tape really work on its own?

Scare tape can be effective, especially in areas with low to moderate bird pressure. However, its effectiveness often diminishes over time as birds become accustomed to it. For the best results, we highly recommend using it as part of a combination strategy with other deterrents, like netting or decoys.

Is it okay to leave bird netting on all year?

No, it’s best to remove bird netting right after you have finished harvesting your figs. Leaving it on year-round can interfere with pollination in the following season, restrict new growth, and pose a risk to wildlife during the winter when they might seek shelter in the tree.

My fig tree is huge! How can I net it?

Protecting a very large tree can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. You can focus on netting just the lower, most accessible branches where the majority of the fruit is. Alternatively, use long poles (like painters’ poles) to help drape the net over the top. In the long term, consider pruning the tree annually to maintain a more manageable height and shape.

Your Fig Harvest is Worth Protecting

There you have it—a complete toolkit of strategies to protect your precious fig harvest. From the foolproof security of netting to the clever psychology of scare tactics and sustainable gardening, you now have everything you need to solve this common problem.

Remember, the key is to be proactive and use a combination of methods. Don’t feel discouraged if one method doesn’t work perfectly; simply adapt and try another. You’ve put in the work to grow these delicious fruits, and you absolutely deserve to enjoy them.

Go forth and protect your figs! Happy gardening, and may your harvest be sweet, plentiful, and entirely your own.

Rimon Chowdhury
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