Dermistid beetles

[Stone Knife]

I wanted to do something different with the buck I shot this season, has anyone had their deer skull cleaned by beetles? What are your thoughts on this process?

[Tdog]

If you take the time just to boil it. It will look just as good with out paying for it. Don't do this in the kitchen. This is an out side job. Clean as much of the meat off that you can. Boil the rest off. When you have everything off the skull let it sit till it's dry but not cold. Then put it in some hydrogen peroxide. Make sure you only cover the skull and not the antlers. let it sit for 24 hrs. Take it out sit it in a sunny spot to dry. Or just take it to a skull guy. Up to you.

[Stone Knife]

What about the brain?

[lpcjon2]

Beatles are way to much trouble for a do it youself or a send out job.They wont eat wet flesh and you either have to skin it and let it dry for a few months or boil it.The thread about boiling skulls was a good one we use kinda the same method at my job for human skulls and bones.A camp stove of fire will boil it up no problem.
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=096033

[Bobby Urban]

Take a cordless drill and a bent piece of coathanger and scramble the brains up after boiling it a while.  They shake out.  There is also a brain casing or something up in there that you want to be sure to get out or it will get stinky.  I find I get better results if I simmer instead of boil.  Let it simmer a long time like making a pot of stew(basically it is what you are doing) Take your time and clean it up real good between simmers.  It does take some time.  After I get mine as clean as I want it I lay paper towel on it and soak that with peroxide.  This way I use less and have more control of what it is touching.  Rinse the peroxide real good and leave it outside in the sun or in a sunny window to dry.  It may have a slight odor for a while but that will go away and you have a nice trophy.  I like to write date, bow, broadhead and treestand on the bottom with a sharpie and spray mine with poly after it is good and dry.  
Bob Urban

[Irish Archer]

Beetles do an amazing job. I have a few skulls done that way. You'll like it.

[JamesV]

put it on a fire-ant hill

[wingnut]

I've had a number of skulls done with the beetles and was so impressed that we almost went into business doing it ourselves.

I think it's the only way to go for a perfect skull everytime.

Mike

[bowmaster12]

from working in a taxidermy shop and doing it both ways beetles by far give you a better end product, much whiter and far less brittle.  We had no problem putting fresh skulls in the tank the seemed to eat "wet" meat just fine.  I would highly recommend beetles

[elknutz]

If your bank account doesn't mind, beetles do an amazing job.  The tutorial that was on here a few days ago was very good if you want to do it yourself.

[B/W lvr]

Maggots do a great job!! Just put it outside, like on the roof or tied in a tree and let the flies lay their eggs on it. The maggots that result will strip it clean. Frank

[Nala]

Yeah the Dermistid beetles do quite the job on anything that was once alive.

If you live in an area that has a decent sized university you can call their Biology department and they will almost certainly have a colony.  They probably wouldn't mind too much if you brought your skull over and let them go at it.

My Alma Mater had one and they stayed pretty busy....
Give it a try.

Nalajr

[Tim Fishell]

I have a friend that has a few large colonies of beetles.  He has been doing skulls for a number of years now and does amazing work.  His turn around the last I knew was 3 weeks and the skull comes out perfect every time.  He has done everything from raccoons to buffalo skulls.

[Wapiti Chaser]

Jim,

I had a guy in Batavia do one with beetles. Turned out real nice and white.But cost $$ The last four or five I just cape out then bury in the garden . Three or four months later presto a skull mount ! They aren't real white so I put some stuff on them my wife gets from the hair dresser on it and it turns white ! When I bury them I leave the rack out of the ground and cover it with a recycle bin so the dogs don't carry them off. Leaves me more money for archery stuff  

[lpcjon2]

Boil it in peroxide and a little bleach and it will get white.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

You should do a maceration, no boiling, no beetles. All you need is an aquarium heater and a bucket. All animal tissue liquefies @90deg. in just a matter of a couple of weeks. Boiling tends to make bone brittle as well as bleach will make it brittle.....I've already been down that road.

Water in bucket, submerge skull w/rack left out, keep at 90deg. with aquarium heater and let nature do it's work. Keeping the water at a constant 90deg allows bacteria to grow and eat the tissue...even the brains. Change water every few days and do your best to stay up wind of it or you'll gag.
When done rinse off well with a garden hose, and then soak the skull in peroxide for a few days rinse again and let dry.

Here's a good read and it explains several different skull cleaning processes in detail.
 http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1144.pdf

[lpcjon2]

Chris wont a little Borax in the boiling water keep it from drying out and getting brittle?

[Cyclic-Rivers]

The nice thing about Beetles is, you will have all the connective tissue in the nose cavity of the skull. It looks much better.

If you know someone with a lot of Owls, usually beetles live in the cage and will do a fine job.

[Guru]

Someone here said they won't...but dermestid  bettles will eat "wet flesh". They do an amazing job, and are very quick!

[Don Stokes]

Oddly enough, I have a cousin, John Stokes who keeps owls. And hawks, an eagle or two, and a buzzard he raised from a chick that eats dog food. Really. Check out this site:  http://soarsouth.blogspot.com/

I'll have to ask him if he has beetles.