How do home gardeners keep away those pesky Colorado potato beetles??

Hi Sue, Here's a link that may help! http://tipnut.com/potato-bugs/

Good luck!

Poison or bacillus thuringiensis are the bet ways to handle an infestation, Sue.

See if you don't find this informative:

https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/colorado-potato-beetles/

and

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef312

I have to make sure the products I use are organic as it is a community garden and no pesticides are allowed. Thanks for the info. I will check your site out also. I know the extension office in my town didn't have a lot to offer.

Then your best bet is physical control (picking the beetles by hand and removing spent foliage) and BT, which is a biological that is

non-toxic to people and animals. You can read more about it here: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/bt-ext.html

Yup, we've picked, squished, and dumped into a soapy bucket. And I've even plucked a few leaves. Have tried Safer Insecticidal Soap and will now move onto probably neem. Thank you for your input.