Something Is Eating Holes in My Green Peppers

Cause

• The corn earworm is hairy and either off-white or yellow-green. It's about an inch and a half in length and has eight pairs of legs. The fall armyworm is either black, brown or green and sports a black stripe down its sides and a yellow one down its back. It, too, has eight pairs of legs and is just a bit smaller than the corn earworm. Corn earworms are active in early summer while the armyworm waits, as its name implies, until late summer or early fall to attack the pepper plant.

Solution

• Identification of the pest that is producing the damage is paramount to finding a solution. If you can't identify the pest, take a sample to the cooperative extension office in your county and have an agent help you. If the holes in the peppers are mainly at the stem end of the fruit, the corn earworm is the likely suspect. When dealing with either pest, monitor the pepper plant, paying close attention to areas where there is damage. Look under the leaves for the worms. It's important to time the application of insecticide so that it's on the plant when the eggs hatch. Experts at the University of Florida IFAS Extension recommend an insecticide that contains the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as Bt.

Prevention

• There are as many methods of organic pest prevention as there are organic gardeners. Some suggest sprinkling cayenne pepper on the pepper plant's foliage to deter chewing pests. Another popular deterrent is a garlic pepper spray. Easy to make, combine six garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of onion juice and a teaspoon of liquid soap in 1 gallon of hot water. Pour it into a food processor and pulse it until the garlic cloves are ground to liquid. The solution is more effective if it sits for a day or two before spraying it on the pepper plant's foliage.

Considerations

• Commercial organic pesticides, such as those with Bt, may help prevent pests on your pepper plants. Spray them to the point of runoff on both sides of the leaves during the growing season. Since Bt is safe for human consumption, treated peppers are edible within hours of spraying them. Monitor the garden frequently for signs of pests. A small infestation is much easier to manage than a large one. Treat the pepper plant at the first sign of pests.