Where can I buy Dermestid Beetles?

[Chargerguy]

I want to do a couple european mounts this spring but want to avoid boiling the skulls. Anyone know anyone who sells dermestid beetle colonies?

Ryan

[BigRackLover]

Few places online - use google.

Carefull about crossing the border though. Best chance is to call up some Taxi places yourself and ask them.

I was thinking about it personally but decided it was not worth the trouble for 1 or 2 skulls.

[Chargerguy]

Yeah I'm hoping for something in Canada, preferably Alberta. All I found so far was out of the states.

[bossmann]

they are a lot of work it is not worth it. it is best to just hire it out to somone who does a bunch.... or better yet put your skulls in a orange garbage bag with a few cups of watter. tie it off and puch a couple holes in it and now put it outside this summer where the coyotes cant get it and by fall it will be all good. just bleach it!!

[Chargerguy]

What does the bag and water do exactly? What I did with a whitetail before was burry it in the garden for about a month. It was cleaned up a bit, a few more months and I bet it would have been ready to whiten. I didn't think the beetles would be that hard to get so I didn't burry it again.

[double gun]

Beetles are a big pain to keep. You need to keep them at the right temp, humidity, and feed them year round. They stink, and are hard to keep in. Way better off with: Simmering, maceration, or taking to a taxidermist; especially for a couple skulls. But they are available from a place in eastern Canada...but they wont survive the mail in winter I dont think.

[Chargerguy]

Any taxidermiests in the Edmonton area that use dermestid beetles?

[itspaw]

i am also interested in buying some beetles as i have some skulls to clean thanks

[Copidosoma]

Originally Posted by double gun

Beetles are a big pain to keep. You need to keep them at the right temp, humidity, and feed them year round. They stink, and are hard to keep in. Way better off with: Simmering, maceration, or taking to a taxidermist; especially for a couple skulls. But they are available from a place in eastern Canada...but they wont survive the mail in winter I dont think.

X2. Most of the places online who sell them will give you a few hundred but you need ALOT of them to get the work done. Which means growing the colony. Which means maintaining it. And they stink. Alot (the larvae don't eat fresh tissue, only the rotten stuff). So if you are within city limits you will likely have a knock on the door.

As much as I hate paying people to do stuff for me, it is probably better to just drop it of at a taxidermist.

[toba 308]

try Wards, they supply alot of live critters for schools and such.

[bossmann]

the bag keeps the moisture in because the native beatles have a hard time eating realy dry skin and meat. you want just enough water to keep it damp.

[jrHunter]

I have a pet lizard that eats beatles. The beatles stink like you wouldn't beleive.

[Rackmastr]

Originally Posted by Copidosoma

X2. Most of the places online who sell them will give you a few hundred but you need ALOT of them to get the work done. Which means growing the colony. Which means maintaining it. And they stink. Alot (the larvae don't eat fresh tissue, only the rotten stuff). So if you are within city limits you will likely have a knock on the door.

As much as I hate paying people to do stuff for me, it is probably better to just drop it of at a taxidermist.

x2....I have friends who have tried it and its NOT worth it unless you are making a living at doing them.

Personally boiling skulls gets them clean enough for me. Unless I had a giant bear skull that I was worried about a bit of shrink, in which case I would either water-rot them or pay to have them beetled....

[Jamie]

STINK

Wrap this one up in your "Seemed like a good idea at the time" file


Pay to get it done, unless you want to go into Biz.

Jamie

[Rackmastr]

Ryan,

Just for curiosity sake, why do you want to avoid boiling the skulls?

[Chargerguy]

The gf's dad was a taxidermist and hated boiling skulls. He said that the teeth usually fell out, the fat absorbed into the bone, etc. To me I just figured I'd use the beetles as the seemed like an excellent idea. Great west taxidermy seems to charge quite a bit for having it done. But if the larvae like rotton flesh then I can give the garbage bag a try this summer since time isn't an issue. The buck was shot in 2004, the moose was shot in 08, and that's all I really have to do for right now.

Thanks for all the input, maybe I will avoid buying my own beetles.

[Rackmastr]

Sounds good...was just curious.

Teeth only fall out if you do it wrong and the fat doesnt absorb into the skulls if you use a touch of soap in the water and chage out the water once.

Either way...good luck with the beetling and hope ya get something figured out.

[russ]

I've heard adding baking soda or soda ash will help to get the meat off. I was also told you don't really "boil" the skull you actually "simmer" them.

Before you run off and try this, remember I'm repeating 2nd hand info. It's kinda like the time some guy told me I could re-melt ivory soap in the microwave Try it some time, very interesting results. and it won't wreck the microwave honest

[Rackmastr]

Soda Ash is what you want to use......I dont think Baking Soda works.....

The Soda ash apparantly just lets the meat fall right off the bone. And yes....you just want to lightly simmer the skulls anyways. I pressure wash afterwards to clean up any little bits. Cleans them bright white and costs me a few bucks for peroxide and the cost of propane to boil for an hour.....

[RAZ]

I buy my beetle babies as meal worms at Pet Land buy about ten tubs of 100 worms and put your skull in saw dust and put the meal worms on top.And watch them go, do a awesome job ,The worms turn to black beetles and then lay eggs and die and whala more worms and beetles.
Do a search on meal worms and chicken bone to see them at work on youtube.(they cleaned a chicken bone completly in under a week)
In my garbage tub it takes about 18 to 20 days to clean it completly white with meal worms. I have the garbage tub in the heated garage ,
After two weeks reomve the skull ( it will be at the bottom of the tub-they do move it to the bottom )and blow it off with a air gun and it is ready to bleach or paint.
this works awesome and I did four deer, one antelope,two elk and a couple bears from november.
I also do sell the meal worms for fish bait when someone requests them locally!

[AB2506]

I've seen a large beetle farm. I think it is a lot of work and only worth it if you are doing work for others. Not as easy as it sounds. They smell and need to be fed all the time etc.

On the other hand, I tried boiling a coyote skull and was not pleased with the results. Other people have shown their results and they are much better. Maybe convince Rackmastr to boil yours? Or, show you how.

[Rackmastr]

Originally Posted by AB2506

Maybe convince Rackmastr to boil yours? Or, show you how.

Hell if I charged 1/4 of what the beetle guys charged I'd still be ahead....heh

That was ALMOST a good pun.....