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I have two bell pepper plants outside, and the leaves have been pretty damaged from something chewing on them. I'm confident that it's an insect, but I haven't found anything on them that I have been able to identify as the culprit. I was told to look for hornworms, but despite several thorough searches there are none to be found. I have seen a grasshopper on the plants multiple times, and I saw a spider at the base once. Today during my search I found a small tick-like bug and several small light green balls stuck to the bottom of the leaves. Does anyone have any idea what could be eating my plant? The peppers themselves remain untouched.

A picture would help. Most of my leaves are chewed by snails and slugs. Leaf miners will leave trails in the leaves. Thrips, mites will scratch the leaves and can be found on the underside of the leaves. Tomato hornworms and beetles will also eat leaves. The best time to look for pests are early in the morning or the evening when they come out to feed.

My first thought was also slugs/snails. They are the only thing that ever bother my peppers. And you will never see them unless you come out late at night with a flashlight and look closely.

Damage from slugs will look something like this:


https://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/m ... aeb624.jpg

roundish to oval holes in the centers of leaves.

If the "small light green balls" looked like this

https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insec ... 5517F7.jpg
-- then they are hornworm eggs.

These caterpillars are also typically night feeders, and are very well camouflaged.