Something biting holes in my little pepper plants

NewbieGrower · May 2, 2017

I know this Tomatoville but peppers are related. I have small pepper plants I raised from seed. Still in Red Solo cups and beginning to blossom but am planting in EarthTainer today. These are mini sweet pepper varieties. Today, I noticed new small holes on a few leaves of 3 plants. Insect?

What might it be and what should I do?

gorbelly · May 2, 2017

Could be a lot of culprits. It's not a large amount of damage, so for plants that small, I'd probably check the foliage carefully, especially the undersides, and poke around gently in the surface of the soil at the base of the plant and hand pick off any pests or eggs I see. My biggest concern would be young caterpillars, especially hornworms. Caterpillars can start off tiny and hard to see--hornworms, especially, are very well camouflaged on tomatoes and peppers--but as the children's book says, caterpillars are Very Hungry, and they can get big and damaging fast.

If I found nothing, I'd just do nothing for now.

If the damage got more extensive with still no sign of a resident pest, I'd probably assume beetles, grasshoppers, or other flying pests, and if the damage got worrisome I'd consider an insect cover, DE, etc.

But a couple of holes chewed into leaves here and there is the normal state of plants grown in an environment that's not blanketed in toxic insecticides. If your plants are all pristine, it's time to worry about why there's no insect life in your garden.

gdaddybill · May 2, 2017

snails, slugs, grasshoppers, katydids are likely but I just discovered two eggplants with the terminals missing and leaves damaged too. Fire ants were crawling all over them. It's been a good spring but the pests are relentless in our southern gardens.

NewbieGrower · May 2, 2017

Haven't seen any slugs or slug trails around. I have a resident toad that lives in my potted plants. Maybe it stops once I plant them.

I too have been fighting fire ants. I use boiling hot water and pour on mound when ants not out. Sneak up and stir the mound while dousing with boiling water. Kills all ants it touches instantly. By stirring you break up the tunnel structure and hopefully kill queen. Here's a photo of all the dead ants

at a small mound in crack of my driveway. hard to stir but survivors moved elsewhere.

Spartanburg123 · May 3, 2017

Use Amdro Newbie! Chopped up Fritos soaked with ant poison. They love to take the food down to the queen(s), and 2 days later- no nest.

NewbieGrower · May 3, 2017

Amdro is made of group C human carcinogen according to EPA. I don't want to use toxic poisons in my yard by garden or where kids play.

Cole_Robbie · May 3, 2017

I had a few leaf holes like that in my dwarf sunflower plants. I found the culprit, and it was a very tiny grasshopper, about a quarter-inch long. He was very hard to see.

JohnJones · May 3, 2017

Hi Neighbor,

I'm in Madison. I think it's most likely flea beetles. They're pretty prolific around here. Check both sides of your leaves in the morning and evening for tiny black specks. Sneak up on'm and dispatch them with a squeeze. Your plants can typically outgrow the damage, but a bad infestation can do damage.

By the way, if they see u coming they can really jump, and they adore eggplants...

Edited to add that I just noticed one in your first pic. See him?

NewbieGrower · May 3, 2017

A squeeze of what? Fingers, trigger of sprayer? Pouring rain tonight. Will rain wash it away?

JohnJones · May 3, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewbieGrower

A squeeze of what? Fingers, trigger of sprayer? Pouring rain tonight. Will rain wash it away?

They're very small. Thumb and index finger pinch and its all over. Not gross.

Pouring here too. Your plant looks fine, but if you want to be proactive practice squeezing them.

NewbieGrower · May 4, 2017

No little back anything. I moved from off ground to top of table. No new holes. I plan to spray BT (Thuracide) on Monday. So maybe end of that problem

gorbelly · May 11, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewbieGrower

No little back anything. I moved from off ground to top of table. No new holes. I plan to spray BT (Thuracide) on Monday. So maybe end of that problem

BT will only work if the culprits are caterpillars. But BT is a fine thing to spray anyway--not damaging to non-target species.

May 3, 2017	#8
JohnJones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Mississippi Posts: 339	Hi Neighbor, I'm in Madison. I think it's most likely flea beetles. They're pretty prolific around here. Check both sides of your leaves in the morning and evening for tiny black specks. Sneak up on'm and dispatch them with a squeeze. Your plants can typically outgrow the damage, but a bad infestation can do damage. By the way, if they see u coming they can really jump, and they adore eggplants... Edited to add that I just noticed one in your first pic. See him? Last edited by JohnJones; May 3, 2017 at 11:00 PM.

May 2, 2017	#2
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	Could be a lot of culprits. It's not a large amount of damage, so for plants that small, I'd probably check the foliage carefully, especially the undersides, and poke around gently in the surface of the soil at the base of the plant and hand pick off any pests or eggs I see. My biggest concern would be young caterpillars, especially hornworms. Caterpillars can start off tiny and hard to see--hornworms, especially, are very well camouflaged on tomatoes and peppers--but as the children's book says, caterpillars are Very Hungry, and they can get big and damaging fast. If I found nothing, I'd just do nothing for now. If the damage got more extensive with still no sign of a resident pest, I'd probably assume beetles, grasshoppers, or other flying pests, and if the damage got worrisome I'd consider an insect cover, DE, etc. But a couple of holes chewed into leaves here and there is the normal state of plants grown in an environment that's not blanketed in toxic insecticides. If your plants are all pristine, it's time to worry about why there's no insect life in your garden.

May 2, 2017	#3
gdaddybill Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Burton, TX Posts: 294	snails, slugs, grasshoppers, katydids are likely but I just discovered two eggplants with the terminals missing and leaves damaged too. Fire ants were crawling all over them. It's been a good spring but the pests are relentless in our southern gardens.

May 3, 2017	#5
Spartanburg123 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 1,262	Use Amdro Newbie! Chopped up Fritos soaked with ant poison. They love to take the food down to the queen(s), and 2 days later- no nest.

May 3, 2017	#6
NewbieGrower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Ridgeland, MS Posts: 68	Amdro is made of group C human carcinogen according to EPA. I don't want to use toxic poisons in my yard by garden or where kids play.

May 3, 2017	#7
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I had a few leaf holes like that in my dwarf sunflower plants. I found the culprit, and it was a very tiny grasshopper, about a quarter-inch long. He was very hard to see.

May 4, 2017	#11
NewbieGrower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Ridgeland, MS Posts: 68	No little back anything. I moved from off ground to top of table. No new holes. I plan to spray BT (Thuracide) on Monday. So maybe end of that problem