What can I do about pepper maggots?

Question

They are in all my pepper plants, I saw the yellow fly weeks ago but did not know what it was. Now I looked it up because all my peppers are rotting and I saw a maggot inside when I cut one open. Is it too late to do anything? Am I going to lose all my peppers?

Answer 1

The honest answer to your question is, yes, you will lose your fruit.

Pepper maggots overwinter as pupae in the ground. Flies emerge from June to August and mate. Soon afterwards the females insert their eggs in the peppers. The eggs inside the peppers hatch in about 10 days.The larvae will feed on the fruits for 18 days. When fully grown each larva will cut a hole through the pepper and then drop to the ground where they will stay, only to restart the regeneration all over again the following year. The use of insecticides is the only effective method of control, by using on the plants from the outset to harvest.

I would also suggest that, if you can find "Jeys Fluid" pour this in diluted form over the area to be planted next year.