The key to controlling pests in your greenhouse capsicums effectively, is detecting them early and introducing beneficials at the right moment.

• Western Flower Thrips. You can easily see thrips in the flowers, leaves and stems. They cause considerable scarring damage to capsicum fruit which can downgrade your fruit quality. However, the main issue is that Western Flower Thrips are the main vector of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus among capsicum, and once infected, plants won't recover.
• Two-Spotted Mite. Leaf damage (speckling) will occur when the infestation level has reached a moderate level, followed by webbing of leaves in heads causing severe stunting or plant death. This is a serious pest because it is resistant to nearly all miticides and breeds quickly in warm/dry growing conditions inside greenhouses. It is critical to detect mite activity early.
• Aphids, Mealybug or whitefly. Look for honeydew and sooty mould on the leaves. You can detect adult whitefly by disturbing the heads or leaves of the capsicum plants, especially plants along the perimeter, corners and near entrances of your greenhouse.
• Broad Mite. You cannot see Broad Mite with the naked eye. Distorted growing tips on young foliage and severe growth ceasing are symptoms of damage.
• Caterpillars. Chewing damage to the foliage is a sign you have caterpillars. Heliothis can enter the fruit directly.
• Mirids. Check for these pests in flowers and growing tips of capsicum plants. Mirids can cause permanent damage to the growing tips if you don’t control them in time, leaving the plant permanently stunted or “blind” at the growing tips.
• Green Vegetable Bugs. These pests are good at hiding in the crop to avoid detection. It’s common for growers not to notice their presence until they spot the characteristic feeding marks when packing in the shed.
• Fungus Gnat. These aren't usually a problem in soil-grown capsicums but can be a pest in hydroponic operations.