Forum home The potting shed

Pepper pest

«1

Posts

  • Trying to identify a pest that is overnight making chilli pepper and tomato leaves  lacey and sapless.  Nothing is visible on the plants. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,915
    Probably snails - try some slug pellets, they're much safer to use nowadays

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,586
    Tiny holes in my peppers too this year, never had them before. It's not slugs ...they aren't that neat,my peppers are on rough wooden staging in green house,no slugs up there. Tomatoes are fine.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 11,929
    I have exactly the same on my pepper plants in my greenhouse, and wondered if it's a type of flea beetle causing the damage ?
    I don't recall having this problem before.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,387
    I had the same problem last year and now see 2 fruit affected this year.  Neatly drilled holes - usually at the top of the fruit. Never found the culprit.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 11,929
    Were the peppers edible @philippasmith2 , or should l cut my losses ?
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,419
    Normally I agree slugs or small snails, but at my SD's greenhouse I found very small green  caterpillars on the back of the leaves.  I  rubbed them off but they were so small I can't be sure I got them all.
    AB Still learning

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,586
    I checked for pests,the holes looked like they'd been made with darning needle.
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,387
    AnniD said:
    Were the peppers edible @philippasmith2 , or should l cut my losses ?
     I just cut away the area around the hole and use the rest.  So far, I've only ever found 1 hole per fruit.  I'ts annoying when they are just starting to ripen !  Not slugs/snails as they tend to "graze" rather then "drill".
    As per @Allotment Boy, I find small caterpillars on the leaves but they are extremely hard to spot as they tend to mimic the leaf veins.  Peppers are normally in GH but I have spotted the Cabbage whites in there on occasion so could be them.  Doesn't explain the holes tho.

  • scrogginscroggin Posts: 397
    Possibly Tortrix moth caterpillars. They make tiny holes like that, the caterpillars are tiny so easily missed 
Sign In or Register to comment.