There is nothing better than freshly picked peppers from the garden. Waking up to find that a bug has been gnawing on your pepper plants during the night can be very frustrating. You've been working hard in the garden all day, but when you examine the peppers and pepper leaves the next morning, you notice bite marks. What exactly keeps your peppers company at night? Your pepper leaves are eaten: Find out who is to blame here!
Why pests eat holes in the leaves of pepper plants and what you can do about it
There are various pests that like to eat pepper plants and make holes in them. There are certain insects that feed on young plants. Some pests like to eat the peppers or drink the sap of the plants, while others prefer to consume the leaves. Before deciding on a pest control method for pepper plants, it is important to determine what type of pest is causing the holes in the plants.
Helpful tip:It's not always easythe source of a pest problemto determine. The leaves of the plant should be sprayed with neem oil. This will deter most pests that might attack your pepper plants.
There are several pests that can be responsible for this situation. One of the easiest ways to find out who might be feeding on your plants while you're away is to go out into the garden after dark and make observations. Examine the undersides of leaves and the fruits you grew by digging in the soil. It's possible you'll find the bug you're looking for!
Snails and slugs
Snails and slugs are often a concern because they can cause a lot of damage in a single night. In fact, when most people think of pests, they immediately think of them. When it comes to new seedlings and leaves that are still delicate, slugs can cause significant damage. Snails and slugs are likely to blame if you find your peppers have been eaten overnight.
- What you can do
Snails and slugs usually leave behind leaves or fruit that have large, ragged holes. There is also a chance that you will find traces of slime all over the garden. If slugs are a problem in your garden, there are several methods to get rid of them. You can set a beer trap by burying a cup or can and then filling it with beer to serve as bait for the animals. Snails and slugs are attracted to the yeast in the beer and crawl in.
Copper tape, which acts as a slug deterrent, is also available at many garden centers. You can wrap this tape around your pepper plants growing in pots or raised beds. Those of you who have fertilized your plants with used coffee grounds might be onto something here. Snails can be deterred from an area by using coffee grounds, especially due to the caffeine content.
Ultimately, you should drain your garden and remove the slugs by hand. Although this is very time consuming, it undoubtedly has the desired effect of reducing the population. To keep snails under control in your garden, be sure to ensure adequate air circulationabout your plantscare for. Remove the lower leaves, reduce the amount of mulch, and provide adequate drainage.
Flohkäfer (Erdflöhe)
Flea beetles are just one type of common insect that likes to nibble on the leaves of pepper plants and cause damage. They are very small and metallic in appearance, they can be gray, black, bronze or brown.
These insectsprefer young plants, which are not yet ripe or are just beginning to become ripe. Irregular holes in the leaves of the pepper plant are one of the telltale symptoms of a flea beetle infestation. Flea beetles are the only insects that can use these openings. Occasionally they hide among the flowers of the host plant. They tend to forage in large groups and will drop to the ground if disturbed.
Despite their size, flea beetles are difficult to control. You can use citrus, garlic or neem oil.
Pepper leaves are eaten by caterpillars
These worms can reach a length of up to 5 cmday undergroundand come out at night to eat. They feed on pepper seedlings, eating the leaves and can bring an entire plant to its knees by eating through the stem.
Recognize and combat green caterpillars
This pest is the most destructive type of caterpillar that eats up your pepper plants. The green caterpillars often grow up to 10 centimeters long and can be as thick as a finger. They are pale green, with spots and stripes on the sides. The green caterpillars are so efficient that they can remove all the leaves from a plant in a single night, but also eat the stem and fruit. The pests can be removed from the plant by hand with little effort.
