Well, it's not really about defending figs--more like strength in numbers. With all the dastardly pests out there (mine are birds, squirrels and coyotes) have any of you tried to out-plant the competition? If so, has this worked for you? Or does it just encourage the pest population to grow since they're being well-fed and telling all their friends? I'm so tired of trying to figure out how to defend my trees that I think I'm going to try planting a ton of them so that I can get a decent crop.