Early detection and prompt insecticide sprays provide the best control. Margined blister beetles , Epicauta pestifera Werner, sometimes feed voraciously on foliage in late summer. Damage to leaf margins is typical. Sprays for major worm species usually offer control. Pepper weevils , Anthonomus eugenii Cano, are introduced on transplants grown further south.
Adults oviposit in fruit causing scars in dimples.
Larvae feed in the seed cavity causing fruit to drop or become deformed. Avoid using transplants grown further south having flowers, buds, or small fruit. Inspection certificates and insect free transplants are encouraged. Weekly sprays of pyrethroid insecticides are suggested. Hemiptera and injury .