This is the second pepper I find off my plant with a nibble gone.
If it really is a squirrel, they've certainly been surprised by the spiciness.
by Anywhere-Little
15 Comments
mfBENTLEY
Birds
medicated_missourian
Grasshoppers were my culprit this year
Rob_red
I’ve had slugs crawl over my ghost peppers so maybe they do something to them too.
Ahkelar88
I dont think it’s a mammal. Mammals have receptors that should be able to feel the heat and stay away. That’s why chile peppers developed their notorious heat to begin with.
Shrimpin23
I’ve had squirrels come at my jalapeños before, especially in the late season. They usually take one bite and then leave it alone, thought it still spoils the pepper for me since I’m not taking my chances with any possible bacteria or diseases.
Birds tend to go after peppers more once they turn red as they’re attracted to the color. Birds usually rip into the peppers more and aim for the inner seeds. Most birds don’t even have the tastebud receptors to even taste the heat so hot peppers dont bother them much.
origanalsameasiwas
I put out a reaper pepper in a plate so the squirrel would stop eating the bird food. And it actually had a nibble. And I haven’t seen it since.
silent_saturn_
Tomato hornworms will eat my peppers as well as the leaves
SunshineTradingPost
I always wonder what becomes of the poor creatures who nibble on spicy peppers lol
skelli_terps
In my experience growing, mammals take n exploratory bite then realize quickly that your crop isn’t worth their time or pain. Any excess of superhots I have at the end of the season goes into a food processor, gets strained, and put into a sprayer to spray on the mulch in my spring garden to deter pests. It works pretty well, but not recommended if you have exploratory kids or pets for obvious reasons.
RealPropRandy
At least once.
johnicester
Not at all 🥵…that’s bugs/birds
MantisTobogganMD87
Maybe once
iamthelee
He probably had a nibble and went into cardiac arrest.
zigaliciousone
I had a squirrel problem the first year I grew superhots. One day I went outside and saw an obvious test bite on one of my ghosts. Squirrels didn’t touch any of my plants that were even near the peppers after that.
afterglobe
YES!!! We had a hot pepper garden of over 17 plants. Reapers, Scorpions, Ghosts… squirrels LOVED to steal my peppers!
15 Comments
Birds
Grasshoppers were my culprit this year
I’ve had slugs crawl over my ghost peppers so maybe they do something to them too.
I dont think it’s a mammal. Mammals have receptors that should be able to feel the heat and stay away. That’s why chile peppers developed their notorious heat to begin with.
I’ve had squirrels come at my jalapeños before, especially in the late season. They usually take one bite and then leave it alone, thought it still spoils the pepper for me since I’m not taking my chances with any possible bacteria or diseases.
Birds tend to go after peppers more once they turn red as they’re attracted to the color. Birds usually rip into the peppers more and aim for the inner seeds. Most birds don’t even have the tastebud receptors to even taste the heat so hot peppers dont bother them much.
I put out a reaper pepper in a plate so the squirrel would stop eating the bird food. And it actually had a nibble. And I haven’t seen it since.
Tomato hornworms will eat my peppers as well as the leaves
I always wonder what becomes of the poor creatures who nibble on spicy peppers lol
In my experience growing, mammals take n exploratory bite then realize quickly that your crop isn’t worth their time or pain. Any excess of superhots I have at the end of the season goes into a food processor, gets strained, and put into a sprayer to spray on the mulch in my spring garden to deter pests. It works pretty well, but not recommended if you have exploratory kids or pets for obvious reasons.
At least once.
Not at all 🥵…that’s bugs/birds
Maybe once
He probably had a nibble and went into cardiac arrest.
I had a squirrel problem the first year I grew superhots. One day I went outside and saw an obvious test bite on one of my ghosts. Squirrels didn’t touch any of my plants that were even near the peppers after that.
YES!!! We had a hot pepper garden of over 17 plants. Reapers, Scorpions, Ghosts… squirrels LOVED to steal my peppers!