SKULL CLEANING - CHANGING FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Processing skulls is changing - finding a cost effective way.

I have spent endless hours reading forum posts, traveled millions of internet miles searching for useful information on skull cleaning, degreasing and bleaching. In the process I have watched a pattern develop and wonder if it is progress or a step back in skull preservation.

Today many professional taxidermists as well as the small technicians are looking at faster ways to clean skulls and stronger chemicals are being used to get the job done in less time.

Fixatives and polymers can stabilize damaged skulls

Along with the drive for faster production the use of fixatives is becoming more common place.  I suspect that this is to prevent the appearance of surface damage and to provide structure support for the skulls.

Personally, I am ambivalent regarding this trend. I feel that quality of a product should not depend on money but in this case the buyer may have no clue because on the surface the mount looks good. The craftsman has to find a way of remaining in business while making a profit and providing a service with value.

 Does a good looking skull that is glued and stabilized with polymers qualify as quality? Maybe?

Beetles, Bones and art

Beetles, skulls and bones - Art and Jewelry? YES!!

Most of my posts have been about beetles and taxidermy but beetles doesn't have to be about euro style mounts.

Dermestids can be about cleaning bones and skulls to make jewlery and art.

I'm not talking about clunky, grotesque things but beautiful pieces that look like carved ivory. 

Bones can be carved into bold bracelets and necklaces or into small delicate charms.

 Full skulls can be painted or etched to become artwork that is absolutely stunning.  Please visit Etsey or check out Pinterest page Dermestid Beetles - To bare bones. I have been finding items and ideas that appeal to the artist in me and I think many others would love them. 

Having a small colony of dermestids would allow a budding bone artist to clean their own bones or skulls. 

New year, same old me and lots of flesh eating beetles!

New year, new things to do and enjoy also I've started a new DIY manual. More that as time goes on.  The first one proved I can do it. Next one will just be frosting on the cake.

Sooo, This past year my bug world has produced a number of nice skulls most waiting for my attention.  They all need to be degreased and then I will decide what to do with them.

The artist in me is already seeing carved or painted skulls.

I also wished I had kept some flat bones and long bones from the rode kill deer we got this last summer. They would have made great beads or flat pieces to paint or carve.

If one takes up a hobby like this you need lots of stuff...like another freezer for the over flow. Because we fixed that problem I can continue looking for those great dead things to reduce to their simplest form.

More on the bugs, my plans for 2016 later.

HUMIDITY ISSUES IN A DERMESTID COLONY

Humidity and its affect on a beetle colony

The atmosphere moisture within a dermestid colony can present health issues for the clean up crew. First off the bugs do very well in high humidity ranges but if there is not enough air moving through out the container, problems such as mold establishing itself in the substrate is possible  When I say air movement I am not talking bathroom fan creating a miniature wind storm drying eggs, small larvae as well as any head to be cleaned. 

Ventilation of a dermestid colony is simple,  enough air to control humidity and odors and no more.   

Most have no idea how to figure out how to accomplish the simple so if a little is good then a whole lot more must be great.  Not....

The dermestid beetle book spells out how to provide just the right air movement.

Visit http://dermestidbeetles.info

Do you simmer or boil a skull? Do you do it for money? 

If so you need to understand  why most professional taxidermists, almost every museum, other institutions  and most serious hobbyists do not use this method.

There are many people that do their own euro trophies and the vast majority do them by the simmer/boil method. This process may work well enough to make the skull owner happy, but there should be a higher standard for anyone producing Euros for clients.

These people should educate themselves on actually making a professional mount that has as little bone damage as possible. The problem with the simmer/boil method is it actually destroys the structure of bone by melting collagen which is the structural building block that makes bone hard.  This process will weaken skulls and cause the surface to become rough, flake or shed calcium dust, none of which is a good thing..

Add to the fact these people do not seem to know that bleaching a skull does not remove any grease and the heat process tends to drive fats deeper into the bone not out of it.

Mixing Dawn into water and simmering may remove the surface grease but it will not touch the deep grease. Oils left in the skull often migrates to the surface  producing a yellow or splotchy colored mount.

If you are doing skulls professionally you should provide a quality product and that takes time...there is no such thing as a one day quality Euro mount. There is information available in doing Euros that will stay white and not show damage and it is not hard to find!

One other point I want to make - just because you see something on U-Tube does not make it right. Especially when the do-er has no idea what is being done to their trophy.

Because it looks OK now and it is cheap is no reason to destroy what could be a skull of a lifetime!

MITES AND DERMESTID BEETLES part 2

Last week Information about how mites gain access to a colony was discussed.
 There is one point that needs to be clarified.
 There is one way mites might actually introduce themselves into a colony,

I shudder to consider the situation ever happening to me......If mites were introduced into a work area from an infested skull, or other specimen and that area was not routinely cleaned, mites could be transferred into any work area or even into the home. From there they could hitch a ride and potentially gain access to the bugs, or dog food or any other area that might provide food.

They would not be drawn to the beetle food but they are capable of exploring their area and accidentally entering the colony would be possible. This situation is similar to an infestation that occurred several years ago in one of the major institutions which shall remain nameless in this blog.

Do you see why I would never admit to having mites 'find' my dermestarium? I would be saying I don't have a clue about these critters and assume they have abilities they do not have...and we all know about assuming something!

If you are interested on learning more about mites the new book is also sold at my Createspace store
as well as at Amazon.com

MITES AND DERMESTID COLONIES

How do mites gain access into a dermestid colony?

Are they brought in by flies? Are they attracted to dog food and walk in? Does humidity spikes bring them in? 

None of these are correct. 

Mites are tiny creatures that can move about in their enviroment but they have limits. They are incapable of long distance travel on their own. They need a specific humidity to thrive but they cannot sense  a colony that has high humidity.

They cannot 'find' dog or cat chow in a colony box and they certainly will not invade any colony that has high protein feed in it.

No matter what a person's experience is or what they assume none of the of the above have any place in reality! 

I have spent a lot of time studying mites and know how they can infest a dermestid colony and none these scenarios 'attract' mites.

However, there is a connection to dog or cat food because many producers of dry pet food have an issue with dermestid beetles which mean they also have mites. These processing plants are not inspected as they do not process human food. In this case the animal food is infested at the processing plant with mites and possibly wild dermestids.

High protein, high fat dog or cat food is an excellent food for dermestids

 but it needs to be treated like any other food item that goes into the box - but more than one person has probably infested their own colony by not knowing anything about mites so before you feed - freeze it or heat it to 120 degrees. 

These insects can have threats to their lives but the biggest problem they have is user ignorance. Too many people utilize these interesting animals and yet know very little about them.  

That is why I wrote the new book on dermestid beetles. There are answers to questions and ways to protect the well being of the colony. 

If you want to know more then visit Dermestidbeetles.info for more information on the NEWEST, MOST INFORMATIVE MANUAL ON RAISING DERMESTID BEETLES.