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What is cutting down my pepper plants?

R

Ralistin

Something is chewing off my pepper plant stems and isn't even giving me the courtesy of eating it. Any ideas what this could be? I know of the cutworm but these are raised beds with a mix of soil I just put in them 4 months ago. You can see the chew marks on the stem above the cut. Only 1 leaf was partially chewed. This has now happened to three plants. The first had several stems chewed off a bit higher then the one in this picture. About 5 stems in all. This plant I did not mind as whatever it was did a good job of pruning back my pepper the way I would have to make it more bushy.
 
 

 
 
Worms don't care if the bed is raised. It's probably a fair guess. Rabbit would have ate the whole thing not just chewed it in half. Invest in a $10 uv flashlight on amazon and investigate every night. 
 
I have seen slugs around the house so they are there but I think they would eat leaves too. I just inspected further to find a couple others have been munched on at the base of the stem but not enough to make a clean cut. It is as if something when along the stem like corn on the cobb but only ate 1/3 of it for about 1/2 an inch or so.
 
Most likely cut worms. Thankfully they didn't hit my garden until late summer so they didn't do any real damage other than chew up some pods but those are like fine filet mignon to all veggy munchers right now. 
 
For tonight, I sprayed some neem oil and soap on the bottoms of the plants. I hope that deters them for the night at least until I can formulate a plan of action. I can spray with Bacillus Thuringienses but that won't kill worms till they feed. I might just have to get some seven dust down there.
 
Any recommendations?
 
Place a plastic bottle ring or similar around the base of the plant - cut worms only feed after they wrap themselves around the base of the small plant at ground level (they will not feed by climbing on the plant, so a physical barrier placed around the plant will keep them from feeding on it)  - If it is indeed cut worms which is what it looks like.
 
Maybe place a barrier around the stem like you suggest, throw a mix of Seven dust and diatomaceous earth down around the stem for insurance. I want the bastards dead!
 
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