Sanitation Services

A strong IPM is a sustainable farming approach focused on reducing the use of toxic pesticides by controlling the environment through sanitation (i.e. mummy shake, blowing mummies, mowing mummies) and using beneficial insects to eliminate the bad insects/pests. The pesticides that are used to kill NOW also kill beneficial insects. The goal is to delay the use of those pesticides as long as possible. You are only as good as your neighbor, so it is very important that both growers are doing their part to minimize the opportunity for NOW to damage their nuts!

NOW nest in the nuts hanging on trees and on the orchard floors beginning winter/early spring and populate as the season progresses. The intensity of pest pressure is directly correlated to degree days

The first "flight" occurs around 1400 degree days (late April/early May). The second "flight" occurs about 700 days after the first flight. There are typically three flights for the almonds and four flights in the pistachios. This is because almonds are typically harvested about 1 month before the pistachios.