every year i grow potatoes, and every year i struggle with bugs. last year i used shallow pans with discarded beer in them from our local pub. it worked but only a little...with my busy schedule, i don't have the time to go out and pick bugs off my plants all the time....does anyone have a better solution???....

For the Colorado potato beetle, I have used horseradish planted in the corners of my potato patch. It is VERY invasive, however. What I have done is planted the roots in totally enclosed buckets. Each piece of root will grow a new plant; it is like mint and very difficult to get rid of.

Also, interplanting with tall marigolds, such as "Crackerjack" works very well.

Companion planting is smart. Floating row covers will help as will a trap crop. Instead of hand picking, look for a used dust buster cordless vacuum at a garage sale and vacuum those pests up. If you care to, blend up a bunch of them strain and spray the plants with bug juice. I guess the word for that is Bleechhh but it does work.