What pests attack chili pepper?

Colorado Potato Beetle, Tomato russet mite, Broad mite, Flea beetles, Leaf Miner, Tomato hornworm, Two-spotted spider mite, Whitefly

What diseases affect chili pepper?

Bacterial spot, Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato), Leaf Curl Virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, White mould (Sclerotinia), Anthracnose, Early Blight, Verticillium wilt

Chili Pepper pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which chili pepper problems need quick action?

Colorado Potato Beetle: Oval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers. Tomato russet mite: Fruit skin turns bronze and may crack lengthwise. Bacterial spot: Small water-soaked spots on older leaves that turn dark brown to black and slightly raised, up to about 7 mm across; larger blotches along leaf edges. Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): The youngest leaves wilt first, then the whole plant wilts quickly in warm weather while the leaves stay green, even though the soil is moist. Leaf Curl Virus: Young leaves are small, curl upward and look crumpled, with yellowing between the veins and along the margins. Tomato spotted wilt virus: Fruit with pale yellow or light green rings, often raised in the centre; ripe tomatoes blotched red and yellow; peppers with ring spots. White mould (Sclerotinia): Later, hard black seed-like bodies (sclerotia) 0.5–1 cm across in the mould and inside hollow stems.

Capsicum annuum

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for chili pepper in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	17
Pests	8
Diseases	8
Growing conditions	1
Need quick action	7

How to grow chili pepper · All pests and diseases

Pests

Colorado Potato BeetleOval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers.Also called: Colorado beetle, potato bugPhoto: Adámozphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato russet miteFruit skin turns bronze and may crack lengthwise.Photo: Goldlocki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Broad miteGrowing tips and buds are killed and new growth is stunted — easily mistaken for disease or herbicide damage.Photo: David Riley, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Flea beetlesSeedlings and fresh transplants are hit hardest and can be stunted; older plants are rarely harmed unless beetles are numerous.Photo: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leaf MinerWinding white or brown tunnels (mines) inside the leaf, or on beet, chard, spinach and celery large pale blotches that soon turn brown and papery.Photo: Flowersabc, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato hornwormThick green caterpillars up to 10 cm long with a horn at the rear end and eight white V-shaped stripes on each side; the similar tobacco hornworm has seven diagonal stripes.Also called: five-spotted hawkmothPhoto: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us, Wikimedia Commons
Two-spotted spider miteFine silk webbing over leaves and shoot tips in heavy attacks.Also called: red spider mitePhoto: Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
WhiteflySticky honeydew on leaves, stems and fruit, followed by black sooty mould.Photo: gaucho, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Growing conditions

Blossom-end rotOn peppers the spots can form on the sides of the fruit near the blossom end and look like sunscald.Photo: A13ean, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Which chili pepper problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Colorado Potato Beetle: Leaves eaten down to the stems; heavy attacks can strip potato plants completely.
Tomato russet mite: No webbing; the mites are too small to see without a strong hand lens. Untreated plants can die in hot, dry weather.
Bacterial spot: Raised, scabby brown spots on the fruit; other rots can enter through them.
Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): Potato tubers have a brown ring under the skin when cut, with creamy ooze appearing on it after a few minutes; ooze can also come out of the eyes, so soil sticks to them.
Leaf Curl Virus: Plants are stunted and stay upright and bushy because the internodes are short; plants infected young are severely stunted.
Tomato spotted wilt virus: Plants infected young often fail to flower or set fruit. There is no cure once a plant is infected.
White mould (Sclerotinia): Roots, heads, pods and fruit can rot too, also in storage.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.