DEER SKULL TO BE DE-GREASED NEXT

The deer skull is totally without flesh - the beetles did a fine job.

I'll get my degreasing tub out tomorrow and put the detergent water and get the  heater cranked up. Give that puppy a couple of weeks and then see what needs done. I find cleaning skulls boring. You wait, you look, you wait, you look. Pat's bear took MONTHS to finely get clean....but it was worth all that time because it is clean and grease free. 

I just reset all the teeth this week. The small bear is next.  By that time I'll be waiting on the deer. 

I am going to get some pictures of my bugs soon. I've got a couple of other projects that are almost completed and photos are necessary. I have some bugs grazing on deer and some showing the size difference between males and females...that most never see in their own bugs.

I raise really good dermestids!

SKULL CLEANING WITH DERMESTIDS - TRICKS

Dermestid beetles are capable of turning a head into a clean skull in a few days.

I took my freshly cleaned colony and added a deer head. This colony has stripped heads in three days and it is even larger now.  Today is day 3 and it needs another day or so to finish. It took me a little while to figure out why the bugs are so slow - then I realized the problem. Temperature.  So simple and I know just what a few degrees can do.

Even though it is summer our temps have been lower than usual and the building my colony is in has been cooler than I like. Nighttime temps went into the 50s and my small room was just a little over 60 degrees.

Dermestid beetles are very active between 70 and 85 degrees...Raise the temps and you raise their metabolism  and they need to eat more.

That is a trick most dermestid users do not know. 

This afternoon those larvae and beetles were busy and cleaning just as they should. All is well in beetledum when the heat is on!

THE BEETLE COLONY WAS A BIT CHILLY - AC IS WONDERFUL WHEN IT'S HOT

Bugs really do not like air conditioning if the temps drop to under 65 degrees.

The cover over my vent slipped and my little room was less than warm. The beetle herd came out for their drink but then the critters were in a huddle when I put the deer skull in the containment box.

I put the cover back and and closed the door so my little bug room would warm up. It is quite strange when the summer heat feels like chilly fall. Those bugs were obviously huddled...I came back in an hour and all was well in the bug house and the skull and jaw were covered in larvae

I told the clean up crew to get busy and get the job done. My herd of bugs are so interesting and I have developed a fondness for them.

BONES, SKULLS AND SKELETONS - LUNCH FOR A BEETLE

Flesh Eating Beetles, chew all the bones clean!

Having a colony of these insects provide a lot of strange conversations. Most people do not have any idea of what they are or what they are used for. 

When you say "they're bugs that eat the meat off skulls and skeletons," peoples mouth drops open slightly and the verbal response is - "THEY DO WHAT?" Then, "WHY?"

It is then you know you've lost them...they are icked out and have no desire to learn anything more.

Occasionally you will find someone that is a kindred soul. They are interested, they UNDERSTAND...and you can actually have a conversation without seeing eyes rolling and the look.

People with curious minds are wonderful! They might not have bugs but they will have something else that's kewl.  Oh yes, one other thing about this kind of people.....their minds never grow old from not being used. Curiosity keeps them young.

SKULL CLEANING - THE ART AFTER THE BEETLES

From Skull to Trophy in Three Steps.

After the beetle colony removes all the flesh from the skull, it needs to have the grease removed from the bone and then bleached to the desired shade of white. The process can be short, resulting in a natural bone color or to a complete dazzling bright, white.

The bleaching process is accomplished with hydrogen peroxide, this chemical also disinfects the bone.   

    

When finished the skull should be sealed to prevent dust and hand oils from restaining it.

Some people love the white look while others want natural. However, there choices that are less traditional - metalized, with or without patina, stained in most any color and even dipped coatings such as camo.  

This part of skull finishing is turning  bone into a beautiful work of art.

DO YOU HAVE A DERMESTID BEETLE COLONY?

Cleaning skulls for fun or profit.

If you have a beetle colony you may use it to clean skulls or you are a hobbyist using them for pretty much the same thing. The difference is money or pleasure, the bugs do not care. Their only goal is to survive and their owners provide skulls, bones and food as well as the daily drink. For them that's probably better than living in the wild. There they face food sources that may be scarce, possible predation from birds and other insects.

Bugs life in a colony is secure and safe,

Most owners realize that these insects are important to them because they do a great cleaning job. They are also generally well cared for and protected from anything that can threated the colonies well being as the owner fas a large investment of time and money in the colony.

The Bone Cleaners, natures clean up crew that also works for people! The colony can be compared to a living tool.

VENTILATING MY BEETLE COLONY - ODOR CONTROL

This last year we have kept my colonies in a small, closet size room. The boxes have passive ventilation and the room is heated, cooled and humidified as needed, it also has it's own ventilation setup. This has worked decently but it is not what is needed.

We are now in the construction phase of the new, in box, mechanical ventilation system.

No more dermestid frass odor, no skull smells, no more humidity spikes...life is good at the bug farm!

The system will be set up for at least 3 colonies with room to add more, low flow air exchanges and that type of system will not create health problems for my bugs -unlike the bath fan for a freezer which dries out eggs and small larvae. That kind of air movement is like being in a 10 mile an hour wind, nasty living condition even for a beetle!  I am so pleased...of course, I tend to be easily pleased.

After we get this thing built and installed we plan on making the information on construction and the math to gage sizes of piping and other components available. More on that later.