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A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S PEST MANAGEMENT Almond Board of California 6 Mummy Shake Today to Save Money, Achieve Higher Yields Tomorrow Harvest may seem like the finish line after a long, growing season race. But before you stop running and celebrate another successful crop year, it's important to look ahead and flesh out your plan to combat overwintering nuts – mummy nuts – and the pesky Navel Orangeworm (NOW) larvae harboring inside. While spending more time in the orchard post-harvest may be the last thing you want to do, from an economic standpoint it's the best thing you can do to protect next year's yields, and your bottom line, from almonds' most threatening pest. What are the consequences of doing a poor job of mummy shaking this year? When growers ignore or half-heartedly perform winter sanitation, the losses extend well beyond the orchard, especially in a predicted heavy crop year like 2020/2021. Product delivered to the processor with NOW damage will result in less returns to the grower as hullers/ shellers and handlers pass along the costs of: f increased sorting, f increased testing, f increased fumigation, f increased storage and handling, f increased pest management and infestation mitigation, and f increased rejection rates of the final product. "Winter sanitation is one of the most critical components of responsible pest management in your orchard because – if performed effectively – you can start the upcoming crop year with a lower NOW population," said Jonathan Hoff, CEO of Monte Vista Farming Company in Denair. "Although the initial cost of mummy shaking is high, we continue to see the best results from growers who complete thorough winter sanitation as their percentages of insect damage are much lower," concluded Hoff. Skipping mummy shaking leaves money on the table Deciding not to practice winter sanitation by removing mummy nuts can result in major financial losses for the grower. According to Mel Machado, director of Member Relations at Blue Diamond Growers, winter sanitation is the foundation of NOW management and, if not performed thoroughly, growers will be fighting NOW-inflicted issues all year long, causing significant losses in revenue. Machado noted that the hulling/shelling process screens out some – not all – damage brought in from the field. This means growers can still face losses if their handler must further sort out damaged product. For instance, depending on yield per acre and price per pound, NOW damage at 2% reject levels can translate to a loss of anywhere from $336 to $436 per acre – that's $3,360 to $4,360 for a 10-acre plot. On the flip side, Hoff pointed out that a strong control program – one which includes not only winter sanitation but also mating disruption and pheromone traps, among other techniques – costs about $250/acre. Compared to the $336 to $436 lost to NOW damage, growers can achieve a huge savings when implementing a good control program. "The cost to manage rejected product, ultimately, comes out of the grower's pocket: They lose value not only because of their less-than-ideal final product, but also because of their loss in total pounds due to damaged product. Reject levels are the 'gift' that keeps on taking," said Machado. Ultimately, when budgeting for winter sanitation, it's important for growers to keep in mind that their return on investment includes a higher yield after hulling/shelling and a more premium price at the handler – a win-win for all parties involved. NOW explained Winter sanitation, or mummy shaking, eliminates hibernating NOW larvae and removes egg-laying sites from the orchard, allowing growers to increase their chances to beat this destructive pest. This practice involves shaking unharvested mummy nuts from the trees and then mowing them throughout the orchard, destroying NOW larvae's intended winter home and, effectively, killing those larvae. The appropriate timeframe for this practice is after harvest through early February. Evidence shows that late winter shaking even when buds are present does not reduce yield. 1 Growers who neglect winter sanitation or do a poor job of the practice are setting themselves up for a long battle against three-to-four flights of NOW moths throughout the upcoming crop year. Continue on page 7 1 For more information on late winter shaking, check out this article from West Coast Nut: https://www.wcngg. com/2020/01/06/does-late-winter-shaking-reduce-yield-potential-in-almonds/