Question
I have been growing vegetables, flowers and fruit trees for years.
I have incurred most growing problems and eventually they go away or am able to resolve the problem. I do not use much pesticides but I would if only I could solve this (worm,maggot) problem. Most of my peppers every year are eaten by these worms inside the pepper until there is nothing left. I am lucky if I can salvage one or two, and even then when it appears to be a perfectly grown pepper once it is picked the worm will appear inside the pepper after a few days in storage!The exact problem I have is mostly with my cherry tree, the cherries have worms in them also. Again even though they appear to be healthy when they are picked, after a few days the worm appears inside the cherry. For years now I have had no success at all with these two mentioned problems and still keep on planting every year hoping that this problem will go away!
Needless to say any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Cosimo

P.S. I live in the Toronto, Canada area (Zone 5)

Answer
Cosimo, the best deterrent for worms and other crawling insects is BT, otherwise known as Bacillus Thuringiensis. This product is organic and comes only in powder form. It is commonly sold under the names Dipel, Green Step, or MVP. If you cannot find it at your local garden center, you can purchase it online at either Planet Natural or Gardens Alive.

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/safer-dust.html

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8797    

Another organic control that is effective against worms is diatomaceous earth. This product is comprised of crushed fossilized diatoms. Although it is broken down into a fine powder, the shavings are extremely abrasive to soft-bodied creatures, such as caterpillars, worms, and centipedes. When they crawl through the powder, their bodies absorb the substance through their exoskeleton, causing them to slowly die from dehydration. In short, the abrasive shavings result in very small cuts on the worm's body causing them to lose fluid and perish.

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/diatomaceous-earth.html   

I hope this information helps. Good luck, and please write again if I can ever be of assistance.    

Regards,    

Mike