Success Stories
Learn how Suterra products have helped growers achieve their goals by using mating disruption in their crops.
CheckMate® CRS Mating Disruption for California Red Scale
Wonderful Citrus is famous for delivering nutritious, premium fresh fruit including Halo mandarins, Wonderful seedless lemons, and Red Scarlett grapefruit. The Halo mandarin brand is a favorite of parents and children for being a delicious, easy snack. The visual appeal of the fruit must be colorful and immaculate, which makes the cosmetic damage caused by California red scale (CRS) a massive economic problem. “The pests for us are cosmetic for you as the consumer. You want a clean piece of fruit. You want something that looks good because we all eat with our eyes first and then we taste,” explains Brandon Koch, PCA at Wonderful Citrus.
“Wonderful Citrus has been using this product for about seven years now and we have seen a dramatic decrease in our pest pressures.”
Farmers might be focused on ROI and productivity of their acreage, but consumers are demanding more sustainable growing methods for the crops they eat. Consumers want to know that farmers care about the land, the bees, and the water that sustains us all. Using products like Suterra’s CheckMate® CRS dispensers provides growers with an effective pest management tool that is species-specific, does not harm beneficial insects like bees or ladybugs, leaves no residue on the fruit, and increases marketable fruit at harvest. Growers throughout CA and across the world are increasingly using organic inputs like CheckMate® CRS on conventional acreage because it just makes sense.
“The savings that we’ve seen at Wonderful Citrus is on the cost of applications."
"We’ve not had to go back and do re-applications with other pesticides, and our chemical usage and our chemical procurement has dropped exponentially over the years... We started with probably 3,000 acres out of a certain region that we sprayed. We’ve gone down to roughly 4-600 acres now that we’re spraying,” says Brandon Koch. “I would recommend Suterra to anyone in California and around the world.”
"After the product is up, it works year-long so I can sleep at night knowing something is out there working."
Brandon Koch
PCA | Wonderful Citrus
Sustainable Control of California Red Scale in Citrus
My name is Brandon Koch. I'm a pest control advisor for Wonderful Citrus. Suterra has been able to implement a product for us that is more sustainable for agriculture here in California. Suterra works by combining natural compounds that we see every day into a non-toxic, usable form that leaves no residues like some of the other pesticides do. Suterra works as a mating disruption. It works as a mimic of the female pheromone. It creates a plume and [the male] cannot find the female to actually mate. It combines an application method that sets it apart to where it's very simple for us to use. The installation of Suterra is easy. We have designated trees that we use, and then we put it up, and it lasts all year long. Wonderful Citrus has been using this product for about seven years now, and we've seen a dramatic decrease in our pest pressures. The decrease in pest… let me put it in the simplest form. We started with probably 3,000 acres out of a certain region that we sprayed, and we've gone down to roughly 400-600 acres now we're spraying. The savings that we've seen at Wonderful Citrus is on the cost of applications. We've not had to go back and do re-applications with other pesticides, and our chemical usage and our chemical procurement has dropped exponentially over the years. Pest management is important because it implies two things: it means the grower has a better ROI and our costs in the field go down. After the product is up, it works year-long so I can sleep at night that I know something is out there when my crew isn’t spraying. I'd say the biggest pest that we have is California red scale. For you as the consumer, you want a clean piece of fruit. You want something that looks good because we all eat with our eyes first. I would recommend Suterra to anybody in California and around the world.
"Not only have we seen a reduction in our trap counts, we have seen up to 25% damage reduction."
We are often asked, "What results can I expect when I use Suterra mating disruption on my ranch?" Roberto Itturalde, Pest Control Advisor for Wonderful Orchards, answers the question with his own experience. They have been able to control navel orangeworm populations, reduce pest damage, and improve ROI by adopting mating disruption on 100% of the ranches he oversees. The benefits of using Suterra’s species-specific mating disruption also helps to protect pollinators and other beneficial insects. Roberto explains, “Bees provide an important role to pollinate our almond trees. Suterra uses a naturally occurring compound and they have zero effect on bee health.”
Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds is the world’s largest grower and processor of almonds and pistachios; in tandem with their Grower Partners, they farm 125,000 sunny acres that deliver 450 million pounds of nuts. By embracing IPM practices and biocontrol products like Suterra’s Puffer®, Wonderful Almonds and Pistachios is able to achieve their sustainability goals, ensuring the finest quality every step of the way — from their trees to your hearts.
"Bees provide an important role to pollinate our almond trees. Suterra uses a naturally occurring compound and they have zero effect on bee health."
Roberto Iturralde
PCA | Wonderful Orchards
Sustainable Control of Navel Orangeworm in Almonds & Pistachios
Here at Wonderful Orchards, we grow almonds, pistachios and pomegranates. The main and leading pest is navel orangeworm. They pose a high risk to an almond and pistachio crop by the worm boring into the nut and feeding on the nut meat. Since we have converted our orchards to 100% mating disruption, not only have we seen huge reductions in our trap counts; we have seen up to 20-25% in damage reduction over the years in our ranches. Integrated Pest Management is important because it includes monitoring to reduce the overuse of pesticide applications. Since we use Suterra we have been able to save on two insecticidal sprays. We only do one spray at hull split, which is right before harvest begins, and so that helps us save on money and pesticide use. Working with Suterra has been a seamless process. It is very easy to implement all the way from order to receiving the product to putting them out in the field at an affordable price.
Installation is very easy and straightforward. We walk out to a tree and hang it about halfway up in the canopy and we leave it there all season. We just set it and forget it. Suterra sets itself apart by their commitment to sustainable farming practices. They use pheromones which in an IPM program is key as a non-chemical control strategy. They use a non-toxic mode of action, so they leave zero harmful residues on the fruit unlike broad spectrum insecticides do.
Bees provide an important role to pollinate our almond trees. Suterra uses a naturally occurring compound such as pheromone and they have zero effect on bee health. I recommend Suterra to not only growers and colleagues here in the Central Valley of California, but other growers across the world. They offer top quality products that help you grow and sustain and healthy crop.
"Traditional chemistry is not going to work against this pest. Suterra works."
Notable influencer and Santa Barbara PCA Bart Haycraft shared his experience battling vine mealybug, a pest and virus vector that had proven a formidable foe in his growing region.
Haycraft has worked in the wine industry for more than 25 years. His experience with Suterra started when he wrote recommendations including CheckMate VMB-XL passive pheromone dispensers for growers at some of California's most well-known wineries. Like many in California, they were dedicated to a system-wide approach to managing pests in the regional vineyards.
Over the years, he tried many different products and practices to help control the pest. Suterra's CheckMate products have proven consistently effective and delivered exceptional return on investment for vineyard managers.
"Suterra has become the backbone of a program in the fight against the vine mealybug."
Bart Haycraft
PCA
Sustainable Control of Vine Mealybug in Wine Grapes
CheckMate® Puffer® IMM Mating Disruption for Indianmeal Moth
Harris Woolf Almonds is a vertically integrated, grower-owned processor of almonds and value-added almond products who’s committed to food safety and quality, from the orchards all the way to the consumer. When you step into their processing facility, you instantly notice robots and humans buzzing around, huge bins of almonds being dumped and sorted, finished product packaged for shipping, and all the quality control checks along the way.
“I would highly recommend the Suterra team for their expertise and customer service and understanding of our needs and what we need to achieve our goals and delivering the highest quality product that we can.”
Tom Carter
VP Coalinga Operations for HWA | Harris Woolf Almonds
Tom Carter, VP of Coalinga Operations for Harris Woolf Almonds, proudly talks about their dedication to technology and efficiency as he takes the Suterra team on a tour. He talks about how the Puffer® IMM has been a game-changer in their pest control program. He lists all the reasons he likes Puffer® IMM- the ease of install, the safety of the finished product, the safety of his workers, the cost- but he also talks about sustainability.
In 2021, Harris Woolf Almonds became a B-Corp, meaning that its very business model is committed to inclusive, equitable, and regenerative practices. As noted in their Impact Report, sustainability is central to everything they do, and that is why Suterra has become such a good partner.
Puffer® IMM fits perfectly into any integrated pest management (IPM) program or warehouse setting. The Puffer® device is pre-programmed to dispense precise amounts of pheromone used to disrupt the mating behavior of pests. Puffer® IMM targets specific pest populations such as Indian meal moths, almond moths, and other stored product moths common in almond processing facilities.
“The Puffer® systems are out of the way. They're kind of a set-it-and-forget-it system, and they've proven to be extremely effective for us.” – Tom Carter, VP Coalinga Operations for HWA.
Not only has Puffer® IMM proved to be highly effective for controlling pest populations at Harris Woolf Almonds, but it has also reduced their use of traditional insecticides. Fewer insecticides mean less time shutting down operations, less pesticide residues on the almonds, and a safer working environment for their employees.
Food safety is crucial for consumers, the environment, and Harris Woolf Almonds. Suterra helps growers and processors meet their quality, safety, and sustainability goals by providing the most effective pheromone mating disruption products on the market.
Contact the Commercial Pest team today to see how Suterra can help you reach your goals.
“The cost on the Puffers® was a lot less than what we used to use, less equipment and less labor as well.”
Maricela Ramirez
Food Safety & Quality Manager, Coalinga | Harris Woolf Almonds
Where Sustainability Meets Food Safety
Most of the almonds are grown in California, and we conduct quality tests to ensure the safety of the product for consumption as it leaves our facilities and heads out to markets all over the world. In the field, we have a lot of experience with pheromone use, and we store many almonds in our warehouse at any given time. As a food product, we don't want pests in our processing areas. If those pests get into a bin and hatch, they start eating the product, and we have to deal with them. We protect our product and use alternative methods like pheromone mating disruption versus chemical interventions to ensure the highest quality product.
Suterra's Puffer technology has been evolving over the past 25 years and has been at the forefront of pheromone technology. It's an effective and easy-to-use system that provides excellent coverage in our warehouse. Other technologies we've used have had application issues, which can interfere with our operations, but the Puffer system is out of the way, making it a "set it and forget it" system. We highly recommend the Suterra team for their expertise, customer service, and understanding of our needs to achieve our goals and deliver the highest quality product possible.
Guardians of the Land
Suterra has launched a campaign in Spain and Italy to pay tribute to the men and women of sustainable farming, recognizing growers who are committed to respecting the environment through innovative farming practices. Each chapter of the campaign showcases our shared values and highlights successful crop protection stories.
We invite you to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes and listen as these growers share their approach to balancing progress and protection.