Holes appeared on the pepper leaves: where did they come from and what to do?

Pepper is attacked by a huge number of harmful insects, many of which are dangerous and can destroy the entire crop in a matter of days. To prevent this from happening, you need to promptly identify and fight the enemies of the vegetable crop.

Pepper is a very tasty and healthy vegetable, rich in vitamins and microelements. Unfortunately, not only we think so, but also numerous pests that annually destroy part of the greenhouse pepper harvest. Today we will tell you about the most dangerous of them, and also teach you how to deal with small dirty tricks.

Whitefly

Elderly people and gardeners with poor eyesight may find it difficult to detect whiteflies on their property. Despite the striking appearance of the adults (4 snow-white wings of the insect seem to be sprinkled with flour), the whitefly is a secretive and cautious pest. The length of its body (light yellow color) is only 3-5 mm, and most of the time it hides on the inside of the leaves. Inexperienced gardeners often confuse whiteflies with moths, which for some reason run very quickly if touched, and only then take off. Insect larvae are even smaller and look like transparent blisters or growths.

Peppers are attacked by the greenhouse whitefly. It is discovered by chance - you can, for example, shake a leaf and see a swarm of small midges that take off and begin to circle around the plants. The inside of the leaves becomes sticky and becomes covered with small light spots - these are traces of parasite secretions (honeydew or honeydew). In this nutrient medium, a fungus multiplies, which leads to oppression of the leaves, they become white and yellow (as in chlorosis), and then suddenly turn black and die. Thus, the cause of the death of pepper is not the insect itself, but the fungal and infectious diseases it carries and causes (powdery mildew, mosaic, gray rot).

The use of folk remedies

You can destroy insects using folk remedies for spraying bushes. How to protect plantings:

• saline solution – 5 liters of water, 500 g of table salt;
• mustard solution – 1 liter of water, 10 g of mustard powder;
• garlic-based infusion – a head of garlic, 500 ml of water (infuse for a week);
• ash solution - 1 tbsp. ash, 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. liquid soap (leave for 24 hours).

In addition, you can spray the crop with kerosene diluted with water (1:1). It is better to treat peppers against pests using folk remedies in the evening.

Some pharmaceutical medicines from which a remedy for seedlings is prepared at home will be effective. These include:

• iodine (5 drops per 5 liters of water);
• boric acid (1 g acid per 5 liters of water);
• tar soap (80 g of soap per 5 liters of water);
• potassium permanganate (15 g of product per 5 liters of water).

Once a week you need to spray the bushes with any product.

Colorado beetle

Who doesn’t know this “striped saboteur”? Of course, his main “dish” is potatoes, but in hungry years he does not disdain pepper. Adults, 7-12 mm long, are easily recognized by their black and white carapace and yellow cephalothorax with black dots. The larvae are larger - up to 15 mm, dark brown, lightening over time to an orange or pinkish tint.

It is easy to notice the Colorado potato beetle, but it is much more difficult to defeat it. To this day, no 100% means of protection has been developed - the beetle quickly develops resistance to chemicals, easily tolerates cold winters and is not a delicacy for birds and predatory insects. At the initial stage, bright yellow clutches of eggs are found on the inside of the leaves (one female can lay up to 1000 eggs per season). Afterwards, you can observe the larvae diligently gnawing leaves, shoots and leaf tips. Adult beetles, which live from 1 to 3 years, are also caught doing the same thing. Instead of a pepper bush, a gnawed “skeleton” remains.

Pest prevention

It is much easier to prevent the appearance of a pest than to fight it and eliminate the consequences of its activity. Accordingly, to increase the yield of pepper in a greenhouse, it is necessary to carry out a set of preventive measures in a timely manner.

These include:

• regularly inspect pepper bushes for insects or larvae;
• planting garlic and calendula around the peppers - their pungent smell repels pests;
• high hilling of plants in mid-summer;
• regular weeding;
• periodic loosening of the top layer of soil;
• spraying pepper leaves with water to increase the humidity level in the greenhouse;
• removal of last year's plant residues;
• compliance with the planting scheme in the greenhouse;
• autumn digging of the soil to a depth of at least 8–10 cm to destroy pest larvae overwintering in the ground;
• planting aromatic plants (dill, fennel, coriander) next to the pepper - their smell attracts the ladybug, which eats aphids;
• regular ventilation of the greenhouse to improve air circulation;
• compliance with recommendations for watering and fertilizing.

In the process of growing sweet peppers in a greenhouse, the bushes can be attacked by a wide variety of pests. Using the recommendations from this article, you can always identify the symptoms of plant damage and choose the appropriate treatment.

Medvedka

It is impossible to confuse this “mole of the insect world” with anyone else. The repulsive and terrifying appearance of this small insect (up to 8 cm in length) frightens everyone who sees it for the first time. A powerful shell covering the cephalothorax, a pair of long wings, digging limbs and a forked “tail” - this is what the mole cricket looks like, responsible for the death of many plantings. At the slightest danger or approaching cold weather, the mole cricket goes underground. Where she has everything: food, warmth and a sense of security.

It is not easy to notice damage to plants - the mole cricket eats the underground part of the pepper and can feast on 10-15 plants in a day. Therefore, the mole cricket itself is usually discovered through winding passages that wind from plant to plant and entrance holes. The mole cricket flies and swims well, does not disdain other vegetables, and even does not mind eating an earthworm. It's not easy to drive her away from the site.

Pepper pests in a greenhouse

Sometimes pepper bushes in a greenhouse begin to wither and stop growing. This can lead to crop loss, so you need to correctly determine the cause of the problem and take measures to eliminate it. The reason for the deterioration in the appearance of plants can be not only improper care, but also the appearance of pests that eat leaves and fruits.

Important! To begin treating pepper bushes, you need to determine which insect or caterpillar attacked the plant and choose the right pest control methods.

Next, we will consider the characteristics and signs of the appearance of various pepper pests in a greenhouse.

Naked slugs

These pests may not seem very dangerous to peppers because they have weak jaws and move slowly. But thanks to their gluttony, slugs can cause serious damage to crops.

Let's look at their description in more detail:

1. Slugs have an elongated and soft body up to 6 cm long. Their color can be light brown or dark.
2. The pests leave behind a viscous transparent mucus, which forms a thin layer on the pepper leaves and provokes the development of fungal diseases.
3. Slugs eat the leaves and fruits of pepper bushes. They appear on plants mainly at night, and during the day they sleep in the upper layers of the soil.

The appearance of slugs in a greenhouse is indicated by the following signs:

• transparent slippery coating on the leaves and stem;
• round holes in the central part of the leaf and on the fruits;
• pepper rotting;
• the presence of slugs in cracks in the soil near plants.

Shchitovka

The insect is a dangerous plant pest and can harm not only the green mass of the bush, but also the fruits.

Let's look at its characteristics in more detail:

1. The scale insect is very small, the diameter of its round body is about 2 mm. The insect's body is covered on top with a brown protective shield with a small layer of waxy coating.
2. The larvae quickly spread across the leaves and cover the surface of the plant with round dark plaques.
3. Scale insects not only suck juices from the leaves, but also cover them with a sticky coating (honeydew), which serves as a favorable environment for the proliferation of fungal spores.

Signs of pepper infestation with scale insects:

• the appearance of small yellow or brown growths on leaves and fruits;
• stopping the growth and development of the bush;
• sticky coating on the surface of the leaf plate;
• yellowing, curling and falling of leaves.

Did you know? Female scale insects are the only insects that gradually switch to a sedentary lifestyle and feed continuously.

Whitefly

The butterfly has a bright appearance, but hides well on the inside of the leaf. To notice a pest in time, you need to know a description of its appearance.

Let's take a closer look at it:

1. The whitefly has a light yellow body about 5 mm long and wings covered with a white coating - visually it resembles fine flour.
2. Insect larvae are transparent in color and resemble tiny growths located on the lower surface of the leaves.
3. As a result of their vital activity, the caterpillars secrete a special sticky substance (honeydew) containing fungal spores. They are causative agents of various fungal plant diseases (powdery mildew, gray rot, etc.).

Signs of whitefly appearing on plants are as follows:

• when shaking the branches of a bush, a swarm of small white insects flies up from the leaves;
• sticky coating on the bottom surface of the sheet;
• yellowing of the green mass of the plant, accompanied by its withering;
• the leaves turn black and fall off.

Aphid

These pests not only eat the green leaves and shoots of pepper in the greenhouse, but also attract ants to the garden beds. A colony of aphids can quickly destroy all plants, as well as provoke their infection with various fungal infections.

The main characteristics of the pest are presented below:

1. The body length of the aphid does not exceed 0.7 mm. The insects are colored light green and suck juices from the leaves using an elongated proboscis.
2. As a result of their vital activity, insects leave a sticky coating on the leaves, which can serve as a source of pathogenic fungus.
3. The pest gnaws all the leaves of the bush, leaving them with a bare “skeleton”. After such damage, the plant does not recover.

The following signs indicate the appearance of aphids on pepper bushes:

• small groups of small green insects on the leaf surface;
• transparent sticky coating on the leaves;
• presence of ants on or around the stem;
• nibbled edges of the leaf plate;
• yellowing and curling of leaves;
• slowing down the growth of the bush, twisting its top;
• drying of inflorescences and deformation of fruits.

Important! Ants can also harm pepper bushes, but they leave the area on their own after all the aphids on the plant die.

Spider mite

This pest feeds on plant sap and can quickly destroy the green part of the bushes. As a result, the formed fruits will not be able to ripen, and the pepper harvest will be lost.

Consider the description of a spider mite:

1. The insect is a small arachnid, the length of its body does not exceed 0.5 mm. At first the pest's body is translucent, but then turns red or orange.
2. Spider mites attach themselves to the inner surface of leaves and suck out the juice from them. It moves from an infected plant to a healthy one through water, soil and gardening tools.
3. The waste product of the insect is a thin web that covers all parts of the plant.

Signs of spider mites appearing on pepper bushes in a greenhouse are:

• cobweb on the inside of the leaf;
• small holes in leaves;
• falling of inflorescences and ovaries;
• yellowing and wilting of the green mass.

Wireworm

This pest is especially dangerous because it acts exclusively underground and can quickly destroy a plant. If the wireworm severely damages the underground part of the bush, then it will not be possible to save the crop.

Let's look at the characteristics of the pest in more detail:

1. The wireworm is the larva of a click beetle that lays eggs in the soil in the first half of summer. The caterpillar's body is dark brown and has a hard surface. The length of an adult worm is up to 5 cm.
2. The larva lives exclusively in the soil and feeds on the roots of bushes and young shoots of pepper. It can survive cold winters and remains viable for 5 years.
3. The caterpillar damages inflorescences and young fruits, causing them to fall off or rot.

The appearance of wireworms in a greenhouse is indicated by the following symptoms:

• the presence of brown larvae on the lower surface of the stem and in the upper layers of the soil;
• yellowing and wilting of leaves;
• slowing down the growth of the bush;
• falling of inflorescences, rotting of fruits.

scoop

This pest has an inconspicuous appearance, and its peak activity occurs at night. Armyworm caterpillars can cause irreparable damage to pepper bushes and reduce yields.

Did you know? One of the largest insects is the agrippina cutworm.
Its wingspan can reach 31 cm. Let's consider the main characteristics of the pest:

1. Cutworm butterflies are small and dark brown in color. Their wingspan is about 5 mm. On each wing you can see a wavy line of light gray color and small round spots with a white edge.
2. The cutworm caterpillar is green. A light green stripe stretches along her entire body, and transverse lines are visible on her back.
3. The caterpillars hatch in the summer and begin to eat the leaves of the bushes and the fruits of the pepper. Pests operate at night and hide in the upper layers of soil during the day.

Signs of the appearance of cutworms on plant bushes include:

• nibbled edges of leaves, minor damage to fruits;
• yellowing and wilting of the green mass of the bush;
• slowing down plant growth.

Thrips

Visually, thrips look a little like small grasshoppers, so it can be difficult to notice their appearance on pepper bushes in a greenhouse.

Let's consider the description of these pests in more detail:

1. The body of thrips is translucent or dark brown, has an oblong shape and can reach a length of 1.5 mm. The insects' abdomen is striped, and the head has a slightly beveled cylindrical shape. Along the edges of the wings there are small hairs resembling a fringe.
2. Thrips flutter from one plant to another, quickly spreading throughout the entire area.
3. Larvae and adults suck the juice from the leaves of the plant, which provokes the withering of the green mass and the death of the entire crop. Pests are also carriers of various diseases.

Signs of the presence of thrips on pepper bushes are:

• the appearance of small yellowed spots or stripes on the surface of the leaves;
• when shaking the branches of a bush, insects fall off them in the form of small oblong specks of dust;
• Pepper leaves turn yellow and die.

Colorado beetle

The peculiarity of the pest is that it quickly develops immunity to poisons, so it is very difficult to completely destroy it.

The main characteristics of the Colorado potato beetle are listed below:

1. The insects have a body about 1.2 cm long, covered on top with a black and white striped shell. The cephalothorax is yellow, covered with black dots.
2. Insect eggs are bright yellow in color and arranged in clusters. The larvae reach 1.5 cm in length and are colored brown or pinkish.
3. Insects tolerate winter well and are not attractive food for birds. Pepper leaves are eaten by both the larvae and the beetles themselves.

The appearance of a pest on pepper bushes is indicated by the following signs:

• the presence of insects on the stem and leaves, as well as on the ground around the plant;
• the appearance of yellow clutches of eggs on the lower surface of the leaf;
• leaves and shoots of the bush gnawed at the edges;
• the presence of pink larvae on the plant that eat the leaves.

Important! Just one female Colorado potato beetle can lay up to 1,000 small eggs per season.

Medvedka

This pest is relatively large in size and looks intimidating. In addition to pepper, the mole cricket can eat other vegetables and even earthworms.

Consider the description of the pest:

1. The body of the mole cricket is about 8 cm long, and the cephalothorax is covered with a strong dark shell. The wings have an oblong shape, and digging limbs are located in front. The tail is forked.
2. The insect lives deep underground, digging long narrow passages in it.
3. The mole cricket can fly, moves quickly underground and swims well. It can quickly move around the area, hardly damaging the underground parts of the pepper bushes.

Despite its large size, the appearance of a mole cricket near pepper bushes is difficult to notice, since it only damages their underground part. The pest can be detected only by the characteristic narrow passages in the ground that lead from one plant to another.

Khrushchev larva

These pests live in the top layer of soil for 3–4 years and successfully survive even cold winters.

Let's consider the main characteristics of Khrushchev larvae:

1. The larvae have a thick white body, twisted into a ring with transverse stripes. It has 3 pairs of dark brown legs.
2. The lifespan of caterpillars is 3–4 years; they overwinter in the soil at a depth of 1–2 m. The gluttony of pests increases with age.
3. In the warm season, caterpillars live at a depth of 10–20 cm and eat plant roots. They especially love young seedlings, but often feed on mature pepper bushes.

Signs of damage to pepper bushes by cockchafer larvae are:

• the presence of white caterpillars in the upper layers of the soil;
• yellowing and wilting of the green mass of the bush;
• stopping the growth and development of the plant;
• weakening of the root system - the bush is easily pulled out of the soil.

Did you know? According to the laws of aerodynamics, the cockchafer should not fly, since the mass of its body is too large compared to its wings.

Ants

We are used to admiring these highly organized creatures exactly until the moment they begin to harm our crops and supplies. Garden ants are attracted to the secretions of aphids and the pepper plantings themselves are interesting to them. Ants become “shepherds,” guarding aphids on plants and feasting on their juice. Accordingly, it is impossible to defeat aphids without eliminating a colony of thousands of ants.

Ants and aphids do not like to camouflage themselves - plant stems clinging to them immediately become noticeable. In general, the harm caused by ants comes down to the breeding and “exploitation” of aphids, although they themselves regularly spoil plantings, destroy beds and flower beds and do not disdain plant sap. If ants come to the site, get ready for a protracted war.

Nematodes

The results of the life activity of these microscopic worms are mistakenly taken for pepper diseases. The root-knot, or root-knot, translucent nematode, only 1-2 mm in size, lives exclusively underground. Its presence in the area is usually noticed too late - the parasite has time to satiate itself, give birth to offspring and “retire.”

Initially, the above-ground parts of the plants show clear signs of lack of nutrients and moisture. The stems begin to curl, the leaves turn yellow, their edges curl, growth slows down and stops. “Crop failure,” we sigh, digging up an almost dead plant. And then it turns out that the roots of the pepper have become thread-like (that is, they have simply died), and they have characteristic thickenings - “cones” and “bulbs” of brown and yellow color. Here it becomes obvious that the culprit of the crop failure is the nematode, but it is no longer possible to save the plant.

Spider mite

Another “invisible” pepper pest world. The small arachnid reaches 0.3-0.5 mm in length, and its translucent body seems to be created for camouflage, so it is problematic to see it on plants. Barely noticeable red or orange dots indicate that mites have appeared on peppers or any other crop. The tick acquires this color closer to autumn, when all the juices have already been drunk from the plant.

A tick is most often detected by the results of its vital activity. A small cobweb appears on the inside of the leaf, and the entire plant, including the stem, leaves and flowers, is covered with small yellowish dots. Subsequently, the mites weave a web around the entire plant, and it gradually dies. Spider mites get onto a healthy plant from a diseased one, are carried through the air, carried in with the soil, and even use your clothing as a temporary “base.”

What to do and how can you treat pepper?

Depending on what pest has settled on the pepper bushes, the appropriate treatment is chosen. If the number of insects is small, you can try to cope with them using folk remedies. In cases where there are many pests or the infestation area is large, it is recommended to use chemicals.

To get rid of whiteflies in a greenhouse, you can follow these steps:

• wash off pests from pepper leaves with water, wipe the leaves with soapy water;
• treat the room with smoke from sulfur bombs;
• Sprinkle the pepper with garlic infusion diluted with water. To prepare it, you need to infuse 0.5 liters of water with a chopped head of garlic for a week, dilute the product with water before use (5 g of infusion is needed for 1 liter of water);
• if necessary, use chemicals (Confidor, Mospilan).

To successfully fight the Colorado potato beetle, it is recommended to use the following methods:

• if there are a small number of pests, collect them manually and destroy them;
• treat the bushes with an aqueous solution of wormwood and ash. To prepare it, you need to pour 10 liters of boiling water, 200 g of wormwood leaves and a glass of ash. The product must be infused for 2–3 hours;
• carry out chemical treatment of pepper using special preparations (“Bitoxibacillin”, “Regent 800”).

You can get rid of mole crickets in a greenhouse using the following steps:

• place traps near the pepper, consisting of a small lamp and a container of kerosene - the mole cricket will fly into the light and, after hitting the lamp, fall into the kerosene;
• from late May to early June, inspect the top layer of soil around the pepper. If eggs or mole cricket larvae are found in it, collect them manually and destroy them;
• treating the pest's underground passages with a soap solution (200 g of soap is needed for 10 liters of water). In this case, the soil is soaked to a depth of about 8–10 cm;
• the use of special preparations for cultivating the soil around peppers (“Grizzly”, “Phenaxin Plus”).

Important! When using chemicals against pests, you must strictly follow the instructions on the packaging.
The following actions are taken against spider mites:

• isolate all diseased pepper bushes;
• water the plants with a warm aqueous solution of kerosene and laundry soap (for 10 liters of water you will need 2 g of kerosene and 40 g of soap);
• use an aqueous solution of tobacco and laundry soap to treat the leaves. To prepare it, pour 400 g of tobacco into 10 liters of water and let it brew for 24 hours. Then boil the resulting infusion for 2 hours, cool the mixture and add 50 g of soap and another 10 liters of water to it;
• spray the bushes with special preparations against pests (Fitoverm, Inta-Vir).

To combat naked slugs, the following methods are used:

• wrap the pepper bushes with film so that the slugs climb under it at night and die from the intense heat during the day;
• inspect the soil around the bushes and, if pests are found, collect them manually;
• water the depressions in the soil with slugs with hot water (about +50°C);
• pour a layer of lime on the damp soil between the plants - when the lime gets on the body of the slug, it burns it and the pest dies;
• use special chemicals (“Thunderstorm”, “Meta”, “Ferramol”).

To save the pepper harvest from armyworm invasion, take the following actions:

• collect caterpillars manually in the dark;
• use homemade butterfly traps - to create it you need to cut a plastic bottle, fill it with fermented jam to a third of its height and hang it at a distance of 1 m above the ground;
• use chemicals (“Decis”, “Arrivo”).

The following means are used to combat aphids:

• attracting ladybugs and earwigs (earwigs) that eat aphids to the greenhouse - for this you can sow coriander, cumin or dill near the bushes;
• treating bushes with an aqueous solution of ash, tobacco and soap. To prepare the product, you need to mix 10 liters of hot water with a glass of tobacco and the same amount of ash. After the mixture has been infused for 24 hours, add 25 g of liquid soap and filter the finished solution;
• spraying plants with a solution based on garlic and soap. To prepare it, you need to pour 250 g of chopped garlic into 2 liters of boiling water, then leave the mixture to steep for 24 hours. Add 20 g of laundry soap, strain the product and mix it with 8 liters of water. Before use, the resulting infusion is mixed with water in a ratio of 1:5;
• use chemical control agents (Fitoverm, Karbofos).

Did you know? Pepper contains a hormone of joy, which helps fight depression and improves well-being.
To save pepper bushes in a greenhouse from thrips invasion, carry out the following actions:

• If insects or larvae are found, wash them off the surface of the plant with a stream of water from a hose;
• Spray the pepper bushes with a water infusion of marigolds. To prepare it, mix dry plants with warm water in a 1:1 ratio and leave to brew for 48 hours;
• treating plants with infusion of onion or garlic - take about 10 g of crushed product per 1 glass of water and infuse the mixture for 24 hours;
• the use of special chemicals (Vertimek, Actellik, Confidor).

To destroy wireworms, use the following methods:

• add crushed chalk, crushed eggshells or wood ash to the soil to reduce the acidity of the soil;
• prepare bait for caterpillars in the form of a stick with sweet fruits strung on it, buried away from the pepper beds. After a few days, the stick is dug up and all the pests that are on it are destroyed;
• treatment of pepper bushes with chemicals (“Provotox”, “Calypso”).

To get rid of scale insects on peppers, take the following actions:

• if there are a small number of pests, remove them manually using a soft toothbrush, and then wipe the leaves with an alcohol solution;
• treat the leaves of the bush with an aqueous solution of soap and ammonia (for 2 liters of water you need to take 20 g of liquid soap and ammonia);
• Wash the leaves with onion infusion. To prepare it, you need to chop a small onion and pour a glass of water into it for several hours;
• use chemicals (“Aktara”, “Fury”).

Important! When using chemicals against pests, do not allow them to come into contact with the fruits - they can accumulate toxic substances.
When chafer larvae appear in a greenhouse, the following measures are taken:

• carry out manual collection of pests, digging them out in the top layer of soil;
• water the plants with an infusion of onion peels (pour the peels with water in a ratio of 1:2 and leave for 5 days);
• if there are a significant number of caterpillars, use chemicals (“Vallar”, “Antikhrushch”).

Slugs are naked

“He’s a pest to me!” you say. He can’t fly, his jaws are weak, he can barely crawl, he collected a couple of slugs with his hands and that’s it – the harvest is saved. Meanwhile, slugs are champions in gluttony, leaving a viscous trail everywhere, and even if they do not eat, they envelop the leaves with mucus. Their body is soft, elongated, up to 50-60 mm long. These mollusks are nocturnal, so their activity is not always noticeable. They love dense plantings, high humidity and soft leaves.

The nature of the plant damage is as follows: round holes are gnawed right in the center of the leaves (less often along the edges). The presence of slugs in the area is also indicated by traces of mucus and excrement. During the day, you should look for them under plant debris on the ground and in cracks in the soil. The natural and terrible enemy of slugs is air temperature above 27°C, and we will talk about other control measures below.

Scoops

There are more than 100 species of cutworms in nature, and the likelihood that one of them lives on your site is very high. A moth flying into a light does not cause concern, but it may well turn out to be a garden moth. It is an inconspicuous butterfly (wingspan 0.4-0.5 cm) with dark brown wings and a light gray wavy line, as well as 4-6 small kidney-shaped dark orange and gray spots with a white border. With such a “tree” camouflage, you won’t always notice the cutworm even in the evening, and during the day it prefers to hide. The cutworm caterpillar is green with a light green stripe on its side and transverse lines on its back. She also comes to the surface only at night.

The nature of the damage differs little from that typical of caterpillars - leaves gnawed at the edges, sometimes damaged fruits. The peak activity of cutworms occurs in the summer; in the south, two generations have time to form.

Holes appeared on pepper leaves

If the bell pepper leaves are all full of holes, who will eat them? Perforated leaves and fruits are evidence that the vegetable crop has been attacked by pests. If caterpillars and signs of plant damage are detected, immediate action should be taken. In advanced cases, it will be difficult to deal with the problem.

Knowing the main signs inherent in individual types of pests will help you find out who eats bell peppers in your garden beds.

Slugs

The enemy of sweet pepper plantings is the slug. This is a land mollusk that visually resembles a snail without a shell . The pest's mouth contains many teeth (chitin), which it uses to grind food.

A plant damaged by a land mollusk is identified by the presence of even round holes on the leaves and a corroded edge . Slugs also tend to damage fruits: characteristic marks will be visible on them. Another sign of slug damage is white tracks on the leaves of pepper. They are formed by dried mucus left by the mollusk when moving.

Slugs prefer a nocturnal lifestyle . During the day they hide, burrowing 3 cm into the ground. They lay eggs there.

Reference. In the absence of conditions for reproduction, this enemy of sweet pepper will die. Slugs thrive at temperatures up to +25°C. They like moist soil and dense plantings.

Aphid

A common pest that affects bell peppers in garden beds is aphids. Plantings in open and closed ground suffer from it.

Peppers are susceptible to black and green aphids . The pest settles on the inside of the leaf. He eats fruits, leaves, and stems of the plant.

A number of signs indicate the presence of aphids:

• deformed and withered leaf blades;
• dry, round areas and the presence of holes on leaves and fruits;
• sticky sweetish coating on the leaf blade;
• black grains are sooty fungus.

Aphids attack bell peppers due to improperly prepared soil in the fall or spring . The eggs of the pest overwinter under a layer of fallen leaves, and with the onset of spring warmth, females emerge from them en masse and lay eggs on plants. The peak of aphid attacks on sweet pepper plantings occurs in the first month of summer.

Colorado beetles

Among the enemies of bell peppers are the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle. A large number of orange eggs appear on the leaves on both sides , which are laid by adult individuals.

Important! They combat the problem using special purchased products. But the pest can adapt to chemicals and become insensitive to their effects, which complicates the fight against it.

If holes appear in the central part of the leaf blade , it means that the larvae are eating the pepper. Then the edges of the sheets become eaten. If no action is taken, the pest will leave bare petioles.

Cutworm caterpillars

More than a hundred varieties of cutworms can damage sweet pepper plantings. The enemy enters the garden in the form of an inconspicuous brownish or gray butterfly, on the wings of which there are kidney-shaped orange spots.

caterpillar is green in color with a light green stripe on the side and transverse lines on the back. It appears on the surface only at night.

The cutworm eats vegetables in a similar way to other caterpillar species . It eats away at the edges of the leaf plate and can damage the fruit. The pest is most active in the summer months.

Aphid

What harm can be caused by a small insect no more than 0.5-0.7 mm long with a tiny proboscis that loves to feast on plant juice? One thing is almost none, but a colony of 20,000 individuals is capable of leaving only dry “skeletons” from the plantings. Plants attacked by aphids practically do not recover, and through open wounds all kinds of infections and fungal diseases enter them, which “finish off” the planting. The result is a complete loss of the harvest.

Aphids almost automatically attract other pests to the garden beds - garden ants. Therefore, the plants covered with them are the first to catch your eye. Damaged leaves curl, shoots dry out, stop growing, and their tops curl. Sweet secretions remain on the stems and leaves (they attract ants). By the way, if you manage to drive away aphids, you will make life much more difficult for the ants.

Thrips

Bladderlegs, or fringed-winged insects, is also the name of the family of these small insects (0.5-1.5 mm) with an elongated body and striped abdomen. Their head is of an unusual shape - conical, as if sloping down. The antennae are small, clearly segmented. Two pairs of thrips wings seem to be fringed - small hairs give them such a resemblance. Insects can be distinguished by the nature of their flight - they seem to flutter from one plant to another. It is very difficult to see them on the site - small translucent pests can easily be confused with plant seeds or specks.

Both thrips larvae and insects suck cell sap from plant tissue. In these places, yellow or discolored spots, stripes or streaks appear on the surface of the leaves, which die off over time. And the leaves fall. Thrips eat almost all plants and, at the same time, are carriers of diseases dangerous to peppers.

Pepper pests can be controlled in different ways. And although this culture is too attractive for most well-known “crop hunters,” the main thing in this fight is to identify and destroy them in a timely manner, and then nothing will threaten your pepper.