Colorado potato beetle?

I think this is what is eating my tall nicotiana that I so carefully grew
from seed. The body is yellow with black stripes (or black with yellow
stripes) and the head is red. This bug is definitely gnawing on leaves. I am
unable to catch it by hand but would like to stop it before it prevents my
plants from flowering, in the least toxic way. Any suggestions?

As long as I'm on a pest track--I have a small red hydrangea that I moved
into a pot this spring thinking that it would be happier on its own because
it was always overshadowed by other plants. Now it is totally overrun by
soft-bodied scale. The plant is really too far gone to save, but I'm
wondering what I did to make it so susceptible. Would a drastic change in PH
(from acid soil to neutral potting soil), or my frequent dousings with
RootsPlus, or my general indifference to the plant have made it suffer? My
other hydrangeas nearby in the ground (fortunately) have not been infected.

Thanks in advance,
Nancy S. (NYC, zone 6B)
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