Anyone keep and use Dermestid beetles?

stratts

Well-Known Member
My bro in law was round yesterday and told me about using beetles to prepare skulls as he is a zoologist and said how easy it is. Does anyone use them and keep them at home and if so where do you buy them from as I've read that they can sometimes come with mites if you don't get a decent supplier?

My lad wants to start collecting skulls so it may become a bit of a hobby keeping the beetles to use for him too!

Cheers

Stratts
 
you can buy em online, but also collect them naturally, only need a few to start a colony... theres lots of info online and on youtube.
very easy, but its something i'd do in a shed away from the house... not because of the smell but incase the beatles escape.
 
Stratts I will do heads for you. You ain't a million miles away.
I have seen plenty of properties infested with various beetles of the kind you are talking about. Leave them alone. Wf1
 
Stratts I will do heads for you. You ain't a million miles away.
I have seen plenty of properties infested with various beetles of the kind you are talking about. Leave them alone. Wf1


Ah ok mate I don't mind doing them was just thinking of an easier way after being told about the beetles. They would be kept in my shed away from the house anyway
 
Dermested beetles are not something you really need to boil a few skulls. As mentioned don't let them anywhere near your home.

Having worked in the museum profession, beetles were used I believe at Tring museum to clean bird skeletons. This was in a separate building, but attached to the building at the time I believe. A few beetles got into the main collection and in the end I believe they used methol bromide gas to fumigate the place to kill them off as they had started to eat the collection. This was quite a few years ago.

I have cleaned Elephant, Giraffe and just about every other animal that can be found in Africa. The easiest and least labour intensive way is to use enzymes and a fish tank thermostat in a plastic bin well sealed, and be prepared to put up with the stink when you wash it off and bleach.
 
I used to collect skulls as a kid. Still got them all, actually! My method was to put as many dead things as I could find into a "rot bag" (i.e., plastic sack), tie up the top, and leave it in a discrete place. After a suitable period of time I'd tip out the contents onto a wire mesh panel and wash off all the goo with a hosepipe. This just left me with the bones. I'd then pick out the skulls and any other bits I wanted and bleach them.
 
I kept a sizable colony for nearly 10 years in the teaching lab. What I learned convinced me to never bring them home where I had any mounts that I wished to keep intact.

They are wonderfully useful for small and delicate specimens (bats, birds, etc...). They are less useful for large skulls because they can't clean as fast as the flesh can rot. Ended up doing a quick boil and de-bargaining, followed by scraping off the big muscles and eyes. From that point on they did a great job.

the bad news is that they will eat ANY flesh, including preserved mounts, that they can find. If it is treated with formaldehyde or something else toxic, they will still eat it. They just die after ingesting. They are also susceptible to a mite that attacks when humidity gets to high. Putting too much flesh in a colony at one time results in higher humidity in the micro climate, and this is often followed by a mite infestation.

did I mention that they will get out of the colony and eat any flesh that they can?

and lastly, they will escape and eat any flesh they can!
 
I used to collect skulls as a kid. Still got them all, actually! My method was to put as many dead things as I could find into a "rot bag" (i.e., plastic sack), tie up the top, and leave it in a discrete place. After a suitable period of time I'd tip out the contents onto a wire mesh panel and wash off all the goo with a hosepipe. This just left me with the bones. I'd then pick out the skulls and any other bits I wanted and bleach them.

Strong constitution required there!
I success with a Roe just by burying it loosely up to the pedicles, then putting a bucket over the top held down with a few bricks... Then it's the same deal, dig it up and wash it, but with less goo to sift!
 
I kept a sizable colony for nearly 10 years in the teaching lab. What I learned convinced me to never bring them home where I had any mounts that I wished to keep intact.

They are wonderfully useful for small and delicate specimens (bats, birds, etc...). They are less useful for large skulls because they can't clean as fast as the flesh can rot. Ended up doing a quick boil and de-bargaining, followed by scraping off the big muscles and eyes. From that point on they did a great job.

the bad news is that they will eat ANY flesh, including preserved mounts, that they can find. If it is treated with formaldehyde or something else toxic, they will still eat it. They just die after ingesting. They are also susceptible to a mite that attacks when humidity gets to high. Putting too much flesh in a colony at one time results in higher humidity in the micro climate, and this is often followed by a mite infestation.

did I mention that they will get out of the colony and eat any flesh that they can?

and lastly, they will escape and eat any flesh they can!


:D
 
I just chuck mine in the compost barrel. Blue bottles etc do the job pretty swiftly.

Fish them all out at the end of summer, hose down and bleach.

If you want to speed it up, rough skin, then crown cut, scrape out the remaining brain etc and boil. Only takes an hour and you're good to go.
 
Boil the skulls in a pan ( On a gas ring in the garden if you cant bring them into the house) then pressure wash the soft flesh off the bone. A young roe is 20 minutes in the boiler, and 5 minutes under the pressure washer. An old workmate works fine for clamping the skulls while you pressure wash them off. Just make sure you've got waterproofs on with a hood, or you will get coated in flying brains. Lol
 
Mine go in the compost bin and in the summer takes 10 days or so. Boil out in a stainless steel bucket over gas ring in kitchen with either washing powder/oxy action, bring to boil and simmer. Then wash off under tap dry and bleach using hydrogen peroxide cream from Hairdresser suppliers. 1 ltr bottle will last ages. Normally do this with roe skull in a plastic ice cream tub and just apply with paint brush, takes a couple of days, was off and leave to dry in greenhouse, I wrap antlers as they will bleach in strong sunshine.

D
 
Do you soak them or just paint it on then swill it off

I use peroxide, it's thicker than bleach, almost paste like, brush it on quite thick, rip up bits of kitchen towel / toilet tissue, stick it on and dab more peroxide on as if building up a paper mashie model. Leave for 3-4 hours peel off the paper rinse with water (not in your stainless steel sink) job done. Skull white as you like.
Wingy
 
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