Pepper worms

[HabaneroHeaven]

I have found several pepper pods that have seem to have rotted and fallen off the plant. It wasn't until recently that I noticed they all had holes in them. I opened them and found a small green caterpillar type worm inside, eating the habanero flesh. My first question is how can I get rid of them? My second question is how can a worm or any pest eat habaneros? I thought that hot peppers were pest deterrents.

 

[desertlady]

you stumped me! must be a mexican worm that likes habenero!!

 

[digitS']

Welcome to TEG, HabaneroHeaven !

First of all, a reaction to the "heat" of a pepper has something to do with certain nerves, I believe. Birds don't have all the right arrangement to feel the heat so, I'm not sure why insects should necessarily either .

Looking south of the border may be in the wrong direction for finding the source of the problem: The European Corn Borer caterpillar feeds on peppers. They bore in and begin eating. Decay follows.

As you can tell by the name, these bugs also live off corn and will overwinter in corn stalks. Eggs of the moth adults are usually laid in corn silk but corn isn't all that these critters are interested in eating. Here's some more about them: European Corn Borer, in Peppers (click)

Steve

 

[baymule]

I had the same problem earlier this summer with corn worms eating my tomatoes! A friend shared her Voo-Doo Juice recipe with me and I WORKS! Here it is for you.

For killing garden bugs and pests

Voo-Doo Juice

1 package of chewing tobacco

1 pod of garlic, crushed, not a clove, but the whole pod

1/4 cup of Tabasco

1/4 cup of dishwashing liquid

Boil 1 gallon of water, add pouch of chewing tobacco and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let steep until cool. Strain, then add Tabasco and soap. Pour into a 2 gallon sprayer and top with water. Spray on garden after 7 PM, so as not to injure bees. Besure to spray the underside of leaves too.



I soaked the stalks of my squash with Voo-Doo Juice that showed the classic signs of squash borers, the gooshy brown worm poo oozing out of the stalk that says worms are eating the guts out of my squash plants! It killed them. The squash survived and produced lots of squash. I loves me some VOO-DOO JUICE!!!!

 

[baymule]

How rude of me.....welcome to TEG and I hope you hang yer hat and set a spell!

 

[HabaneroHeaven]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and thanks digitS' for the article, very interesting. However, the worm inside the habanero pod was green. Has to be something similar though. I sprayed pretty much all of my plants with an organic pesticide mixture I had made earlier in the season. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck!