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what is eating my peppers?

birdfather

birdfather

i have about 14 pepper plants at this particular location. i have had, luckily, this year minimal problems with aphids and other problem insects. but, my one habanero plant has something eating holes in the peppers. i have no idea what is going on. i have lost at least ten peppers due to this. any ideas are appreciated. i have chopped them open to find nothing inside, if that helps

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Look for little footprints, it's probably SMURFS. :D Kidding aside, its usually worms that take that size chunk out of a hot pepper pod.
 
thanks for the insight guys. i just wonder why it is only these peppers that are getting eaten. it is right in the middle of 6 other pepper plants and one tomato plant in a raised bed, and it is the only one affected. actually it's right next to the tomato plant, which hasn't been attacked and i figure that caterpillars would go straight for the tomato, wouldn't they? i've had a hell of a time with caterpillars eating my tomato plants before, but not with peppers (this is only my 2nd year growing, so i haven't seen it all)
 
I can easily find ten peppers with similar holes everytime i walk thru my garden. I never see any caterpillars. Have seen a few grasshoppers. Wonder if they are the culprits. And a few slugs sometimes too. I always remove the above mentioned regardless. Who knows? Feeling for you though. Im not into orange habs, so they could eat mine and i wouldn't care. :)
 
i haven't seen any grasshoppers... and i agree with you on not really being into orange habs. they were supposed to be yellow habs, which i've never had the pleasure of trying. i used to love orange habs, actually, not knowing how good a pepper can actually taste. but then i was lucky enough to have somebody introduce me to growing and give me seeds, and i got my hands on some bhuts. the flavor isn't even comparable...so it began.
 
Yellow habs sound good, never had one. Red habs are excellent though. Love them. Have two different kinds for next season.
I never seen any leaf damage, just some bites out of the pods. Same with you?
Here is one of my from a few weeks ago.
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My peppers haven't been attacked but I've had similar bite marks on some of my tomatoes. I assumed it was rats or opposums or raccoons or some other small mammal.
 
^ Could be those critters but being mammals they are less likely to attack hot peppers (not having any resistance to capsaicin) unless there is nothing else around to eat.
 
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