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fruit borers

siling_labuyo

siling_labuyo

I have a few pods developing ATM, some sweet and some hot. almost all of them have pinholes that I suspect to be some work of fruit bores. Some pods already stopped growing and will eventually drop.

Not only on peppers but I'm having the same problem with my tomatoes and eggplants.

Any prevention/solution for this problem organic or non organic? I've already tried malathion but it seems that it doesn't work that well.


Thanks in advance
 
sorry to say but you probably have an infestation of pepper maggots...this link is for bell peppers but still a capsicum...once you see the holes, it is too late I think...

good luck...

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-005/444-005.html#L6
 
If it looks something like this, it's pepper maggots, and you are hosed....because they have already left the pepper, and that is why there is a hole; they've crawled out. Note that in the first pic, the very visible white not-quite-hole is where the eggs were inserted by the mother under the skin but not through the flesh; the exit hole is in the crown and is a bit harder to see in the pic (to the left of the stem). If you have maggots, pull off ALL of the pods with holes and dispose of them with prejudice. Maggots destroyed about 1/3 of my crop last year. There is no easy solution, because the eggs are inserted into the pods in early June. By the time you see visible damage, they've been eating the insides of the pod for a month+.

006-2.jpg


001-3.jpg
 
UltraZelda64 said:
Oooh... ouch. That has to suck. Are those things pretty much all around the world? I hope to never come across them... nasty...
Click to expand...

It does suck. Really suck. You have to see the inside of a pod that's been eaten by maggots to know just how much it sucks. It's positively nauseating ... and I have a very thick skin for garden pests. I'll share lettuce leaves with slugs; I'll eat pods that stink bugs have munched on; but pepper maggots, those are waaaay beyond the pale. I'd post a picture of the inside of a pod after the maggots have done their thing, but it's just so awful I don't want to ruin anyone's appetite or give anyone nightmares.

I've heard they're prevalent in Europe and becoming more prevalent on the East Coast, where I'm located. I haven't heard of these showing up in force on the West Coast yet.
 
mega said:
It does suck. Really suck. You have to see the inside of a pod that's been eaten by maggots to know just how much it sucks. It's positively nauseating ... and I have a very thick skin for garden pests. I'll share lettuce leaves with slugs; I'll eat pods that stink bugs have munched on; but pepper maggots, those are waaaay beyond the pale. I'd post a picture of the inside of a pod after the maggots have done their thing, but it's just so awful I don't want to ruin anyone's appetite or give anyone nightmares.

I've heard they're prevalent in Europe and becoming more prevalent on the East Coast, where I'm located. I haven't heard of these showing up in force on the West Coast yet.
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm in the eastern US myself, and I hope to never come across these things. I occasionally notice some little "spots" like on the first image, but never a complete exit hole... from all I read, I thought those holes end up "healing" to eventually appear as just a scar? I haven't noticed any tunnels or anything else weird inside any of my peppers though. That would surely ruin anyone's day (or year, knowing that they're out there and will likely remain a problem...).
 
okey... I collected a few pods that are infected and dissected.. all are hot chinenses... here's the damage.. I'm surprised that these suckers can withstand the heat of these pods.

img3261q.jpg

img3268lb.jpg

img3272h.jpg

img3273gs.jpg

here is one of those maggots!
img3279f.jpg


this is very frustrating.
 
I figured out how to post links as opposed to direct pix, so as not to subject viewers to gross pepper infestation porn unless they choose to see it. So I herewith include two links of pictures of what a pod looks like when (a) infested by pepper maggots, and then (b) left alone for a month to continue the process, to see what would happen.

Fair warning: this is gross.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb143/restonian/006-8.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb143/restonian/004-6.jpg
 
the insides turned black! :eek:

And i thought that stupid cat is my worst enemy. This is far more worst. cat, aphids, white flies, caterpillars, now borers. whats next?
 
I feel your PAIN. I lost recently over 45 ripe 7 pot chilis and about two dozen bhut jolokias to fruit fly. More accuratly I lost tthem a while before that as the fruit fly maggots do what you have there - eats it from inside out. I now have a fruiting and ripening 7 pot plants and a couple of bhut jolokia plants all un touched by fruit fly because I now use fruit fly traps of the feramone kind and a paste bait as well. I have about at leat 500 dead fruit flies in my bait stations and god knows how many ate the baits and died out side of the feramone traps.

Anyway I found ALL goats weed, hot thai and devils tongues were untouched by the fruit fly so same deal here it was the hottest peppers they loved which shocked me although they are all close to each other in pots.

I guess search around like I did and go all out with bait traps and the like to sort it out before you start getting fruit setting again. All my baits are eco friendly and work great. Good luck.
 
Cube -> I agree. the cayenne types were ignored by those bugs. I guess its because of the "fruity" flavor that chinenses have that attracts fruit flies here.

Better setup my own traps too. I'm just worried if it will trap beneficial bugs too.
 
siling_labuyo said:
Better setup my own traps too. I'm just worried if it will trap beneficial bugs too.
Click to expand...

In my case of fruit fly, the feramone trap is 100% male fruit fly only. The paste I think is also just fruit fly, both male and female. It's more important to eradicate the males before they get their way with the females who then sting the fruit with babies.. If it kills normal flies and the paste kills ants it's a win win.

Is your problem fruit fly or some other pest?
 
Cube said:
In my case of fruit fly, the feramone trap is 100% male fruit fly only. The paste I think is also just fruit fly, both male and female. It's more important to eradicate the males before they get their way with the females who then sting the fruit with babies.. If it kills normal flies and the paste kills ants it's a win win.

Is your problem fruit fly or some other pest?
Click to expand...

fruit flies and white flies. + that stupid cat too.

they even like my okras now.
 
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