Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) are an economically important specialty crop grown in the southern and southcentral parts of the United States. However, the invasive and exotic wild pig (Sus scrofa) is also distributed over this range, with some of the highest densities occurring in areas of pecan production. Using a before-after control-impact (BACI) study design, we quantified harvest efficiency of pecans in native groves and improved orchards damaged by wild pigs and in control areas that were not damaged. We found that 44% of pecans were not harvested in areas damaged by wild pigs. In control areas, 10% of pecans were not harvested due to the inefficiency of the pecan harvester. Therefore, the loss of pecans attributed to wild pig damage was 34%. This information was used to develop an online calculator (https://nobleapps.noble.org/agcalculators/calculators/pecanloss) that estimates production and economic losses, and can be used for making management decisions (e.g., wild pig control, second harvest of pecans, etc.).
