They Use Beetles To Clean Animal Skulls

They Use Beetles To Clean Animal Skulls FARM HOME Miscellaneous 27-4-18 A company called "Skull Taxidermy" in Deer Lodge, Montana sells "beetle kits" for cleaning the flesh off wild game skulls, livestock skulls or any other bones people might want to keep. Most people boil skulls until the meat literally falls off but that method can allow fat to seep into the bones, yellowing them. Beetles leave the bones a bright white. Skull Taxidermy sells a starter kit that lets you set up your own "dermestid" beetle colony. Once your colony is well established, the skull of a deer or bear, or the entire skeleton of a small rodent can be cleaned in less than 24 hours. If you take the skeleton out in time, the cartilage will stay intact and holds most of the bones together. According to Pat Bannon of Skull Taxidermy, a well-established colony contains about 5,000 larvae. It takes about three months to build his starter kit of 25 adults up to that level. During this "building" stage, and in between skeletal cleanings, the colony must be fed meat. "I find it's easiest to keep the beetles in 2 by 3-ft. plastic containers because of their portability, although I replace them after a year because they eat through them. I also know of people who use an old chest freezer with ventilation cut in the top. During the winter months, they have to be kept warm in heated sheds or with heat lamps. It takes very little maintenance to keep the colony healthy," according to Bannon. "The only drawback is the smell that a colony can create. A discrete location or some ventilation is a must. The beetles perform best at 70 to 80-degree temperatures, so keeping them warm is important. They do not go dormant. If temperatures drop below freezing, they die." The complete life cycle of the beetle is 45 days and it is during the 30-day larvae stage that the insect is most useful for cleaning flesh from carcasses or skulls. Skull Taxidermy also offers a custom skull preparation service (cleaning, degreasing and whitening) for outdoorsmen who would rather not work with the flesh-eating beetles or chemicals necessary to finish the job themselves. Another service they provide is skull metalizing. This involves a patented cold metal application process that makes it possible to put up to 95 percent pure metal on just about any surface. The metals they offer are: nickel-silver, bronze, brass and copper. "If you currently have a skull that is off-color or just plain ratty looking, this process will transform your trophy into an impressive work of art," says. The beetle starter kit costs $55, plus $12.50 shipping/handling within the U.S. Bannon says he cannot ship out of the country. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pat Bannon, Skull Taxidermy, 1208 Kentucky St., Deer Lodge, Montana 59722 (ph 406 846-0002; email: skulltaxidermy@yahoo.com; website: http://www.skulltaxidermy.com) .

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