Something is eating my chilli plant!

[JamieThompson]

Hi guys, can someone help identify what is harming my chilli plant? 
 
As you can see in the picture, it seems to be growing healthy-looking chillis, but the leafs look like something has been munching them, and there is white dotting. 
 
Can anyone identify and advise me on how to treat it? 
 

 
Thanks in advance!

 

[stettoman]

I'd say the spots are likely unrelated, but the munch looks like hornworm or cutworm attack.
 
They hide in the dirt at the base of the plant during the day, come out to the buffet after dark. I have been able to find them by scratching around that dirt, about a half inch deep, and I have found them, right after a drenching rain, hiding in the new growth. 
 
You can come out with a flashlight after dark and find them actually eating...I've personally never found more than one per plant, YMMV....

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

Some kind of cut worm. Hornworm damage would be far more sever and they love to top the new tender leaves. They will look like a hedge trimmer hit the top more than just partially eaten leaves.
 
Hose it down with Neem oil and keep it out of the sun a little while after spraying it.....and i mean spray it until its soaking wet with neem. Its harmless to humans. Might need to do it a couple times but the stuff stops nearly anything that eats plants.

 

[BlackFatalii]

Those half-circle cuts look like the damage caused by leaf cutter bees. I have them too. They use the leaf pieces to build their nests. Even though the damage can look really ugly, it doesn't seem to seriously harm or even set back the pepper plants. Also, the bees are considered beneficial and are good pollinators. I don't even worry about them any more, but if it really bothers you, mosquito netting will keep leaf cutter bees off of your pepper plants.

 

[PepperDoc]

+1 on leaf cutter bees. They make those perfect half circles.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Those half-circle cuts look like the damage caused by leaf cutter bees. I have them too. They use the leaf pieces to build their nests.

 
 

+1 on leaf cutter bees. They make those perfect half circles.

 
Good call guys!> GOOGLE Image Search - leaf cutter bee damage

 

[JamieThompson]

Hi all, thanks so much for the responses! And apologies for not replying/thanking sooner!
 
Leaf-cutter bees seems to be the most likely, and as the plant is doing well apart from that I will let the bees make their nests  
 
Thanks!

 

[blueapplepaste]

I've had similar thing this year. I went out at night with UV light looking for caterpillars, didn't see anything. First time I've had that type of damage. 
 
I agree with others. After further research, I concluded it was leaf cutters. The plants seem to be doing just great otherwise.
 
I'm having a record harvest of cucumbers, so anything I can do to keep bees around I'm all for it. Even if that means them cutting circles out of my peppers, so long as they keep making peppers, I'm all good.