Who knows. Without a pic of the slug-looking thing, we can't identify. Was it green?

Slugs, caterpillars, and earwigs are common leaf chewers of pepper plants.

My suggestion, without identification of pest, is to invest in some BT and possibly some Diatomaceous Earth and/or some slug pellets. I read somewhere recently that Sluggo PLUS also controls earwigs.

I, myself, try to create a diverse garden of beneficial predators by planting beneficial attracting flowering plants. I've been able to cut down on my pesticide usage tremendously by employing this tactic.

Research Integrated Pest Management(IPM).

Kevin

I would think that it is some kind of environmental issue. If it were insect, it would have been wide spread. I think, so far, it is nothing to be concerned about.

Thanks all - the slugs were white and if I see them again I'll take a pic. What is BT?

I'll monitor it for a few weeks and see how it goes. Unfortunately I'm out of the country and its tough to find all that stuff, but if it progresses, I'll grab it when I'm back in the states in a few months.

Bacillus thuringiensis K variant is a biological pesticide specifically for caterpillars -- totally organic and safe and available at any garden center(in U..S.) or online.

White??? Hmm. Sure they weren't cutworms or some type of grub or pupa?

Kevin

I'm not familiar with what slithers around Colombia, but in the U.S. there are a few typical culprits. If the leaf margins are eaten, look for crickets or grasshoppers. If there's holes IN the leaves, look for slugs or snails.Catapillers can do both, so always look for them as well.

I haven't experienced ants that EAT pepper plants. They usually just farm aphid honeydew. You may have leafcutters though, idk lol.

In your last pic, the damage to the closest leaf looks more like a tear to me. Wind damage maybe?

jm2c

Rick

This post was edited by rdback on Wed, Dec 11, 13 at 12:01

Woohooman/rdback - I finally found them and was able to snap a few photos. I found them on the pepper plant that is doing very well and currently producing, but none of the leaves on this plant have holes. Also, the other younger ones have been growing quite well and I don't see any holes in the newer leaves.

The more I think about it, the more I realize it could be wind/environmental damage. During rainy season, there are some heavy downpours (almost hail like at time) and these leave were pretty fragile.

In any event, here are the slugs I found: