One neighbour of mine has a stack of corrugated fibreglass sheets he arranges meticulously each fall. Another way to extend the harvest is to put a paper bag over each developing fig. This seems rather tedious, but some people will do just about anything to get that fresh fig taste in their mouth. Figgy Pests Ripening time will be when most of the pests come out. The delicious fruit are just as popular with wildlife as with humans.
Birds are the most common pest.
It's often a problem finding a net large enough to cover the average tree, but fishing nets are excellent. I put platforms in our trees so the cats can get up there and scare them off. Racoons can cause severe damage to trees. Loading their entire family onto one branch can cause that branch to break. Of course, the fruits will also be gone.