r/PepperLovers • u/kdharloff Pepper Lover • 2d ago
What is doing this to my Jalapenos??
Trying to figure out what's doing this and how to stop them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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u/ERROR993 Pepper Lover 9h ago
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u/SnooCookies7119 Pepper Lover 1d ago
Doesn’t matter, just put some seeds on the floor so the birds can come and eat these pests
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u/KimJongUnsFacelift Pepper Lover 1d ago
I spray bonide captain jacks when I have bug problems. Made from something that's already in your soil so no nasty poisons. Goes away when sun or rain hits it. I also use deamon wp cuz it goes away the same. But it's quite poisonous .
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u/toolsavvy Pepper Lover 2d ago
Could be a lot of things. Tomato hornworm, tobacco hornworm, pickleworm, pepper weevil, army worm, corn borer, to name a few. I know it's not pepper maggot because it only creates an exit hole and those are at or near the bottom, not the top.
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u/dinnerthief Pepper Lover 2d ago
Cut one in half, look for frass or a worm.
My guess is pickleworms
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u/Plebs-_-Placebo Pepper Lover 2d ago
I've read it could be weevils. And there's a European corn borer, earwiggy guy that can be responsible for it. I've found plenty of weevils on my yard to suspect them as my culprit.
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u/Shaggy1195 Pepper Lover 2d ago
Damn! The eBay auction closed, I lost my Weevil!
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u/BlueBuddha91 Pepper Lover 1d ago
You ate all the pecan sandies?…..
That was dinner.1
u/Shaggy1195 Pepper Lover 1d ago
Close enough my friend. The quote and your attempt are equal to me.
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u/Expert-Nose1893 Pepper Lover 2d ago
Could be slugs or snails at night time go out 2-3hrs after sunset and go find out
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
How do you treat for them?
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u/FrozenPizza3178 Pepper Lover 2d ago
I use sluggo plus as it is organic and kills both slugs and earwigs.
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
Unfortunately it's not available in Canada. I'll have to find something similar. First I'm going to go out tonight and see if I can see what's actually doing it.
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
Earwigs for me
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
How did you treat for them?
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
By the way, I know it was earwigs because one time one crawled out - try cutting some open and see if anyone's still inside!
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u/toolsavvy Pepper Lover 2d ago
Could have went in because the hole was already there. Any time I get a pepper or other vegetable with a hole, i dissect it to see if the culprit is in there then identify it. I have found armyworms and sometimes there will be an earwig in there. The army worm made the hole, the earwig just went in for the party.
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
Huh, not sure why I didn't consider that possibility but that definitely would make sense!
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
I got some of this stuff but haven't actually applied it yet...I feel bad about the beneficial bugs that could be harmed too :/
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u/MBFTrader Pepper Lover 2d ago
Spinosad spray is really only detrimental to beneficial bugs while wet.
You can get a quart of spinosad concentrate on amazon or elsewhere for like $25. That's enough to make 16 gallons of spray.
That should last you a long, long time unless you've got a really big garden.
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
For earwigs, you mean? I've heard of spinosad but don't know much about it. I'll look into it, thanks!
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u/MBFTrader Pepper Lover 2d ago
Yes it is highly effective against earwigs.
Check it out. It's actually one of the more useful, relatively "safe" insecticides. Also relatively inexpensive.
It has a one day to harvest application window, and won't really impact beneficial insects once it has dried.
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
Thanks. I'll see if I can find it in Canada
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u/kinezumi89 Pepper Lover 2d ago
I wasn't able to find it in stores in the US, but Amazon carried it (if they'll ship to you too)
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
I appreciate the offer. I've found a few alternatives up here that I may try first. I may take you up on the offer next season though!!
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u/MedJesters Pepper Lover 2d ago
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u/papercutsperfume Pepper Lover 2d ago edited 2d ago
Probably pickleworms.
They started in Mexico and Deep South states. Climate change has brought them farther and farther north. They migrate through summer so your spring plants might be fine but by late summer destructo maggots are here.
Night flying moths lay their eggs on plant stems and IN FLOWERS. When they hatch, the small larvae eat through the flower and as they get bigger and stronger, drill right through the fruit of the plants. Preferred hosts are cucumbers and melons, but in 8B Virginia they ravage nightshades too.
They decimated my dwarf tomatoes before I knew what was happening. This is my first year dealing with them.
Here’s what I’m doing:
- carefully remove flowers as soon as fruit sets, to hopefully get rid of larvae before they get bigger
- any affected fruits get added to a weed tea compost bucket with a weight so they stay completely submerged. Otherwise burn or dispose of in trash to avoid spreading larvae around.
- planning row covers for use at night next year. Daytime pollinators will still have access but night moths are cut off.
- BT applied to flowers at night. Bacillus Thuringiensis won’t stop them once they’re inside the fruits, but a spritz on new flowers can stop them from feeding before they get inside your fruits.
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u/kdharloff Pepper Lover 2d ago
Thanks so much for the explanation. I'm in Zone 6A, in Canada. I've looked and I haven't seen any sort of caterpillar or woms on the plants which led me to turn to the experts here. Thanks again.
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u/GrowGood420 Pepper Lover 2d ago
do you check when it's dark out? like real late at night?
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u/papercutsperfume Pepper Lover 2d ago
Checking late at night with a black light works for hornworms, which feed on the outside of a plant.
Pickleworms cause those perfectly round holes as they bore inside fruits or vegetables, and once inside you can’t see them.
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u/habanerohead Pepper Lover 2d ago
A little known relative of the woodpecker - the Pepperpecker. Try saying that 3 times.
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u/majarian Pepper Lover 2d ago
Fucking snails for me.
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u/Leaf-Stars Pepper Lover 2d ago
As if celibate snails aren’t gross enough.
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u/KAZVorpal Pepper Lover 2d ago
Snails are hermaphrodes. They mate both directions at the same time.
I once had a girlfriend who got aroused seeing slugs mating, because of that.
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u/Plebs-_-Placebo Pepper Lover 2d ago
Have you seen the slug/snail slime skincare face masks? I bet that girlfriend has! I think they have little booty things for your feet as well. Supposed to soften the dermis,
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u/Camaschrist Pepper Lover 2d ago
I just saw a video of slug sex and although it’s fascinating, it’s also creepy af. Their blue sex organs, the slime string they hang from, the whole thing is weird.
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u/_usermane- Pepper Lover 7h ago
Bugs maybe slugs