It this is outside there are severeal possibilities: -- worms -- earwig(?) -- slug/snail To identify: Mist the seeding and the soil to creat a moist/wet environment, after sundown.' Go back around midnight(or later) with a GOOD flashlight and find out. Examine carefully.

This used to be my problem until I began using imidacloprid granules. I summer my plants outside and insects lay their eggs in the soil. When I bring them into the greenhouse, the warmth allows the eggs to mature and turn into grubs, larva. I dose all of my plants in late August with imidacloprid granules and don't have issues anymore. Once they ascend the stem, about all you can do is cut the top off and root it.

With a few exceptions, it's often hard to identify the right bug by the damage they do and correctly give you an action to take. Best would be to go out at night with a flashlight and take a look when they are feeding. You may have to make more than one trip after dark, but trust me, you can be very surprised in the activity after dark in your garden. There's 'stuff' in my own I never dreamed was there, and no wonder the slug deterrents I'd put out weren't helping when I had climbing cutworms :) Let us know....

http://eol.org/pages/452590/overview and apparently another species as well since one is black. EDIT... sorry... lost some of the comment. According to others experiences on another forum slug bait and kill stuff for general slugs doesn't kill these guys. I poured salt on it and I don't see a corpse. But I just looked at my 2 eggplants and see huge chunks of slime on some leaves and goo on a couple other leaves... plus some stems that were growing eggplants are broken off now. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! I hate these jack asses now. And apparently there's a rumor on the internet these guys are our friends in the garden!!! And some people are taking others word for it. I managed to post a picture of it on their forum proving their theory wrong. People also have commented it's really hard to rid their slim they leave behind sliding around. Well, since they lay eggs and seems to of mostly hung out in that pepper plant... I threw the entire plant and container in the dumpster. I am not too terribly upset since I don't really care for the taste of this type of sweet pepper. It taste like eating floral air freshener. I won't be growing these again unless I have an acre of land and plan to sell at a farmers market since some people do like them and they're unusual heirlooms. I even tried grilling one of them yesterday and still doesn't taste that good. Yeah, so... what produces on my other plants I am giving them away. This post was edited by flo9 on Sat, Jul 26, 14 at 12:34