Taxidermists have a few alternatives when it comes to conserving the bones of animal specimens. With dermestid beetles, chemical treatments (such as tanning) and boiling come to mind, but skeletonization may also be accomplished more naturally.
Dermestid beetles for sale in their larval stage are extremely effective at consuming all of the flesh, leaving just a clean, tissue-free head or set of bones behind. You may buy them online, whether you’re a hunter, a fisherman, a scientist, or a university or museum employee.
Uses of Dermestid beetles
Taxidermy isn’t the only purpose for flesh-eating bugs. Because strong chemicals can harm evidence left on bone tissue, they’re also employed by law enforcement and forensic specialists. Forensic experts, for example, may need a clean skull to investigate a murder. On the other hand, Dermestid beetles are available to the general public. They will devour the meat of any deceased animal, be it a treasure, a historical artifact, or a research subject..
You’ll be glad to find that the bugs don’t consume live things. Beetles may be purchased online, but they can also be discovered in your environment, particularly in North America, and even beneath your floorboards. Dermestids do not bite people or spread illness, but they can devour dead insects, animal hair, feathers, and natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, and linen. They can even eat carpets or old books.
How they are employed to clean the skull
The simplest species to colonize is Dermestid maculatus. Every beetle takes four days to develop from egg to larval stage, lasting for five to six weeks. The larva burrows into a substance and surfaces as an adult beetle approximately a week after feeding, molting, and growing. After at least two months, adult females begin to deposit eggs.
Without a magnifying glass, beetle eggs are impossible to see. Larvae start seeking nourishment as soon as they hatch, and they’ll keep feeding until they’re approximately an inch long. A beetle colony might take two to three months to form. A robust, prolific colony can clean a deer’s skull in one or two days.
Advantages of using dermestid beetles
Dermestid beetles are the only approach that is both safe and effective. Only a few items are required to use flesh-eating beetles in the skull cleaning process:
- Container: The beetles can find shelter in a plastic bag, an old insulated chest freezer, or an aquarium. It doesn’t matter how big the container is as long as the insects have food.
- Substrate: Line the container floor with shredded paper, mattress cotton wadding, or pet store animal bedding.
- Styrofoam: When the larvae begin to burrow and pupate into adults, add bits of Styrofoam. As the bugs destroy the material, keep adding more.
- Air circulation: A screened lid allows air to flow, reducing mildew and keeping unpleasant creatures out.
- Temperature: Beetles are most active when the temperature is between 65°F and 85°F. Keep the temperature below 80°F since the beetles may be able to fly if the temperature rises over that. 5
- Light: Flesh-eating insects like to be alone and in the dark. Use a non-light emitting reptile heating pad or heating fixture.
- Food: The only thing the beetles require is the material they’ll be cleaning, but you can supplement it with meat scraps or fish in between sessions.
- Water: Although the insects prefer dry material, you can hydrate them by dampening a paper towel and placing it in the bottom of the container or spraying the specimen.
In conclusion, there are many uses for dermestid beetles that are among the safest methods to employ in skull cleaning. It is most natural, and they ensure to leave no trace of meat while also preserving bones, even the small bone structures.
