Control broadleaf weeds, check for insects, and spray with an insecticide. Vegetable leafminers , Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, are common, but injury is usually confined to small greenhouse plants and recent transplants. Early detection and prompt sprays provide the best control. Plate 2 Pepper maggot . Adult flies resemble house flies, but have black markings in the wings.
Females oviposit in fruit which becomes dimpled or deformed.
Although any type pepper may serve as host, cherry pepper is preferred. Infested fruit often turns red prematurely. Rotate fields in pepper. Early detection of adults with yellow sticky traps will help determine when to initiate sprays. Weekly sprays by air or with airblast sprayers, to fields and their margins, will control adult flies.