What's eating my almond 'tuono'?

Almond 'Tuono' is a self-fertile Italian cultivar grown in warm, dry climates; it faces the same pest complex as all Prunus dulcis. Navel orangeworm is the primary nut pest — it bores into nuts and opens the door to aflatoxin contamination. Peach twig borer damages shoots and nuts, while spider mites and aphids affect foliage. Birds and squirrels also take the crop.

Larvae bore into developing and mummified nuts, consuming the kernel and introducing Aspergillus mould that can produce aflatoxins — a food safety hazard. Remove and destroy all mummy nuts from trees and ground after harvest — they are the primary overwintering site. Time harvest early; use pheromone-monitored insecticide sprays (Bt, spinosad) at egg hatch. Mating disruption is effective at orchard scale.

Spring larvae bore into new shoots causing flagging; summer larvae bore into the hull near the tip, leaving shallow grooves on the nutmeat. Dormant-season spray (narrow-range oil + insecticide) disrupts overwintering larvae under bark. Pheromone traps time in-season sprays. Mating disruption dispensers can replace sprays.

Fine stippling and yellowing of leaves, especially in the lower canopy; severe infestations cause early defoliation and weaken next year's bloom. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill predatory mites (Galendromus occidentalis). Apply summer oil or selective miticides (hexythiazox, abamectin) when mite populations spike.

Aphids curl new-season leaves with sticky honeydew; birds peck at developing nuts; squirrels take nuts before hull split. Aphids: strong water jet or insecticidal soap; avoid excess nitrogen. Birds and squirrels: netting trees at hull split; harvest promptly as nuts mature.