I planted 4 chili pepper plants last May and they were doing very well even during the awfully heatwaves we've had in July and August. My very first time growing peppers and was happy to have managed to keep these young plants healthy and producing really nice fruit but, all of a sudden, leafminers attacked all four plants.

When I first noticed the damage, only ten or so leaves per plant had been affected, which I discarded. I sprayed the plants with a neem oil & dish soap solution but must not have done it often enough because soon the plants had damage on most of their leaves. Heartbreaking to see them like this.

Now I am also seeing deformities in very young leaves and some of the peppers. Is this also caused by the leafminers?