Dermestid Beetles (flesh eating)

Adanac00 said:
sjemac

You said with the maceration you put the skulls in the water all winter! (so Basicaly a Big Block of ice) And then dump it out in the Spring?

I had two Buffalo Skulls this summer that we butchered from our farm!! I hung them about 20ft up in between 2 trees and thought i would just leave them! this doesnt seem to be working to well!

Any Helpfull ideas?

sorry i didnt mean to jack the thread!
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I only put them in there in November because I don't want to waste freezer space and don't want them to turn to jerky while sitting outside. The real action only happens when it gets warm in the spring. Some taxidermists use heaters and tubs to get to about 80 degrees and macerate the skulls in about 3 weeks but that needs to be done indoors and I don't need the divorce right now.

Put the skulls in water and leave them till July 1st. Use gloves and a mask and take them out and spray them off (try to get the horn sheaths off at some point before this -- they may not like the 6 month soak). Then degrease, desmell, bleach and reattach horn sheaths.
 
sjemac said:
...Some taxidermists use heaters and tubs to get to about 80 degrees and macerate the skulls in about 3 weeks but that needs to be done indoors and I don't need the divorce right now...
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A 5 gallon pail wrapped in insulation, with a aquarium heater and I do it outdoors in winter. I aim for 90 degrees F to make it happen in a hurry.
 
I've never dealt with dermestid beetles for stripping flesh, but I can tell you two things.

First, they'll eat the snot out of things. Especially skins that accidentally fell on the ground over night.

Second, they're surprisingly fussy. The one time I tried to encourage them by putting out old meat and scraps for them they died off.


Unless you're used to keeping bugs alive I'd just take your stuff to the local university or vet college and bribe them. If that's not feasible, I guess just buy the beetles and keep them the heck away from your house and any animal products (skins, furs, leather couches, etc).
 
Kirby said:
I've had them, they work great, clean a bear skull in a day, no stains etc. You can get them here in Canada, you have to order them from Wards science.

You need several thousand beetles to clean a skull, I would suggest buying 100 or 150, you get dinged for the shipping(overnight live transport) costs more than the beetles do. Buy them several months before you need them as it takes awhile for them to populate to the level needed to clean a skull.

If you got any questions just pm or e-mail me.

Kirby
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:agree: That's where I got mine as well. Don't look through the catalog though I ended up with a giant cockroach and a praying mantis egg sac as well.... How could you resist?:D
 
In the fall, I usually remove as much flesh as I can with a knife. Then in the spring I bury the skull (not the antlers) in a shady spot for about a month...bugs/worms do all the dirty work. :)

There is no way I would bring Dermestid beetles into the house...kiss the rest of your mounts/skins goodbye. :(
 
+1 for calling the bio dept. or vet college nearest you. Most would probably be happy to through something in the box for you.

I've buried things beside an ant hill before with good results. The colony shifted over to cover the skull and they cleaned it up good. Being buried I didn't have to worry about something digging it up.

I've heard that Borax is a good thing to boil bones in too as it whitens and prevents them from getting brittle.
 
most of the taxidermists around here will do a european for anywhere from 100 to 175 dollars. For that price I'll let the pros take care of it. I like doing most things myself but when it comes to scraping flesh from heads and pulling brains and playing with rotten-face soup I'd rather let someone else have the fun:puke:
My taxidermist did this one for $100 plaque included on the condition that he got to keep the cape.
european1.jpg
 
If you have time, you can bury them in some good soil that it somewhat damp below the surface.

Takes a year or two, but all sorts of bugs will pick them clean. My aunt used to paint buffalo skulls, she either boiled (messy) or buried them.
 
I was going to say, wait until spring, then burry the skull in an ant hill. Ants do a perfect job, but I'm thinking a country task. If you live in a city, probably couldn't do it.
 
I really appreciate all the good feedback, but let me clarify a couple of things. I asked about the beetles, because I would like to undertake some skull work as a hobby. I'm quite artistic and inventing when it comes to mounts, I live on an acreage and have outbuildings. No way, I'd have these critters in the house or else I might end up having to shack up with Tiger Woods :( I've also researched various other methods of skull cleaning including maceration, but when you have to turn out a product for a paying customer, anthills, maceration and maggots just don't get the job done in a timely fashion. I have had a couple of skulls cleaned by the beetles, believe me when I say nothing else cleans as fast and without fuss as these critters do. Yes, there are some negative to them such as stinky, but face it...cleaning a skull no matter which method is messy, stinky and time consuming.
 
Very interesting thread! I've got a tub of soda ash one taxidermist gave me. Said that he boiled his skulls in water and the soda ash mixture. Anyone heard of this? How much soda ash per parts of water would you use?
 
gitrdun said:
I really appreciate all the good feedback, but let me clarify a couple of things. I asked about the beetles, because I would like to undertake some skull work as a hobby. I'm quite artistic and inventing when it comes to mounts, I live on an acreage and have outbuildings. No way, I'd have these critters in the house or else I might end up having to shack up with Tiger Woods :( I've also researched various other methods of skull cleaning including maceration, but when you have to turn out a product for a paying customer, anthills, maceration and maggots just don't get the job done in a timely fashion. I have had a couple of skulls cleaned by the beetles, believe me when I say nothing else cleans as fast and without fuss as these critters do. Yes, there are some negative to them such as stinky, but face it...cleaning a skull no matter which method is messy, stinky and time consuming.
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Fair enough, just be extra careful when you come back into the house from handling the colony. Wear coveralls that you leave outside etc.. If a couple of them get into your house they will breed and devour everything hunters hold dear.
 
gitrdun said:
... I've also researched various other methods of skull cleaning including maceration, but when you have to turn out a product for a paying customer, anthills, maceration and maggots just don't get the job done in a timely fashion. I have had a couple of skulls cleaned by the beetles, believe me when I say nothing else cleans as fast and without fuss as these critters do...
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I can understand how you would think so, but I have to disagree. The most important step of any skull work is the degreasing step. If you skip it, customers will be back fuming mad when grease spots appear in the mount they paid you for. I can macerate a a skull in under 3 weeks, with zero tissue left, and it speeds the degreasing time up hugely. Bugs are super picky with which tissue they will and wont eat.... things you cant control when a client brings you a skull. Yes they will clean it in a day or two, but you still need to degrease it, and a bear skull can take several weeks to degrease. So the difference in time is minimal when you look at the entire job. If you want to play with bugs - more power to you. But I bet within a year you will get rid of them.;)
 
we do the ant thing but cover the hill with wire mesh to keep out the coyotes. I have a couple of goats hanging in the trees. This is takeing forever. Boil really stinks & can wreck the skull. soaking in a slough works best if put in in spring. Good luck with the bugs u seem well versed & prepared.
 
Well, you learn something new every once in awhile! Thanks!

Although I would still go with the serial killer story line; much more interesting!:p
 
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