What the heck is that thing? It almost looks like wire...

You sure you don't have aliens putting tracking devices on your peppers?

I know, right? I think I'm being monitered... so long as they only probe my pepper plant...

I scraped it off in my front yard. I should find it and send it to a research center or something. I'm seriously wandering how that go there and what the heck it is! Weird...

Can't say I've seed that before but since you said it flaked off in sections, I'd guess it's a shed skin from a centipede type bug. Just a guess.

Dude not to alarm you or anything but, that looks like a type of tapeworm. It has the similar look and properties of one. I would of stored it in a bag and took it some where to identify it. But it really looks like some sort of parasitic worm. Make sure you wash all your fruits and veggies before eating them.

Tapeworm!? Holy cow! Man, I wish I had saved it... Thank you all for your feedback! I'll keep you posted if I find more or have someone ID the photo.

Oh, do you think the other peppers are fine to eat? I was going to grind them into pepper.

Weird indeed. I wouldn't eat that pepper but the others should be fine unless they have space alien eggs on them too. It's such an in-your-face thing that you aren't likely to miss seeing it if any other peppers have the same thing. Try opening up that weird pepper and see if there are any eggs or maggots inside.

did you cut that pepper open? eww that looks weird

Theres a post over in the vegetable forum called Help Identifying Bug Egg, which looks like the same thing you have. Something about a leaf footed bug. Check it out and see what you think.

Reddogs that's good info did a search for it on the web closest match for sure. Wow what in interesting way to lay eggs.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Sorry I'm late in responses... only internet I have is my phone and it's not that great. I didn't cut the pepper open, I wish I did! Man... hindsight you know?

Those leaffoot eggs look close! Wow. I am going to find that forum and post the pic there. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks!

pil983 -- there's a really good ID site called Nature Plus at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/index.jspa It's UK, but they handle any enquiry, from any country's flora and fauna. Have a go at that if you're desperate ;) Alternatively, if I have your permission to re-post your pic on the NP site, I could ask your question for you. Let me know :)

pil983
I understand hindsight is alway 20/20

Mac 3, if you don't mind that would be great if you could post it for me! It took me forever just to post it here. Soon I shall have internet at home to go with my new desktop pc my friend built for me :-)

Kinda looks like this...no?

Here is a link that might be useful: bug laying eggs

interesting, you got it right. "Squash bugs". They are sometimes confused for stink bugs, which I know I have, but I have never seen eggs laid like yours. I have seen those bugs though, and sometimes they lay all their eggs in clusters under the leaf.

pil983-- sure, I'll do that. When I get an answer off Nature Plus I'll post it back here for you to read :)

pil983--I've posted it twice on the Nature Plus site, but they must not know what it is either, as no one has ventured forth with an answer. I think, however, that it is probably some species of leaf-footed bug, as they produce cylindrical little eggs in a neat row just like yours. But I must say that the two 'silver caps' on either end of your specimen is intriguing. Looks almost like a bit of wire with two metal caps. If I hear anything more I'll get back to you. Have you done a search for Florida Leaf-Footed Bugs yet?

here are three urls which show similar leaf-footed bug eggs:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/leaffootbug.html

http://bugoftheweek.com/bow-reader.jsp?document_name=/wt/bugoftheweek/archive/BugOfWeek_38E.html

http://bugguide.net/node/view/581591/bgimage

pil983 -- NaturePlus has replied to your question. The message had live links which unfortunately don't work here, but here's the URL which will allow you to read the message in situ with its links:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/message/23508#23508

Gist of Message: "I think that those who have suggested that they are eggs of a leaf footed bug (Leptoglossus sp.) are correct, because you can see the circular operculum (a "lid" through which the insect will hatch) on the side of the "barrels". That the outermost are "silvery" might be beause they for some reason have died (all aquarium owners knows that at least dead fish eggs grow white), are in another stage of development (development rate is strongly temeperature dependent - see for instance table 1.12 on page 31 of this or it might be due to something else...( shows two silvery eggs, not at the ends though, and a lot of brownish ones - of different hue, possibly due to different stages of development.) Why just the two outermost - well, stranger things happen, and the outermost are a little more exposed to things like heat, cold, drought or whatever... (And is an image of the eggs of a moth - note that the more developed brownish eggs are mainly at the periphery of the cluster - but don't ask me why they have developed faster in this case.) It can of course be pure chance that it is the two outermost that are pale - if, in a string of 20 eggs, two are to be randomly chosen, the chance that it is the two outermost is one in 190; not very likely but far from impossible."

Mac 3 thank you! That's awesome. I haven't looked into FL leaf-foots yet but I will poke around. Looks like they're eggs for sure.