I use a little gasoline in a coffee can and knock the Japanese beatles off the leaves into that. Works very well and they die faster. When I'm done I put the cover back on the can to use the next day.

This year they are about as bad as I've seen them. I haven't had much extra time over the last couple of weeks to keep things under control and they are stripping some of our roses and grapes. Been pretty lucky with the Harry Lauders walking stick though, that is growing faster then they can eat the leaves. They also love our camperdown elms, plumb and weaping cherry tree. It's a constant battle to stay ahead of these beatles -almost as bad as groundhogs and raccoons!

On the Proven Winners plants, yes, they are done from tissue culture. That is better than seed in maintaining plant characteristics.

They had small slips of leaf, about 1 or 2 inches long, that the put in a growing medium that seemed to be like Pro Mix – mostly peat moss and other lightweight material.

The do not use a rooting solution. Then they just water and wait for it to grow

And to Lee's comment, I used gasolinea couple of times but I kept sloshing the can, spilling it on my hands and I didn't like the smell.

I'm laughing at that one Tom. I've done the same, and that's just a hazard of the gardening job.

It's not unusual this year to pick 70 to 100 Japanese beatles per day off our plants. These little critters are getting worse every year down here on the coast.