On August 10, 2024, my friend Kerwin, owner of Mounts Unlimited Taxidermy, LLC brought over four deer skulls for beetle cleaning.
Three of the skulls have nice, big antlers, but one skull had the antlers sawed off in order to save the velvet on the antlers. We don't want the beetles eating off the velvet, so the antlers are attached after the cleaning and degreasing process.
Kerwin also brings me the mandible (jaws) and any extra vertebrae which are not used in the Euro Mounts. I will keep the meat and bones frozen as extra food for the beetles.
My process when receiving the skulls from Kerwin is to freeze them for 24 hours. Even though they are wrapped in plastic, I want to ensure that any fly or bug larvae is killed as to not contaminate and kill my beetle colony.
With space in the beetle, box, I unwrap the plastic and place the skull in the box on top of a plate or lid to catch any teeth that may be extracted as the beetles eat the flesh and cartilage. It also catches the liquified brain matter as it de-thaws. This summer I am feeding the skulls frozen. I will consider other options for winter when humidity changes.
Kerwin and I have a system to document the order of the skulls going in for cleaning. Not only are the deer tagged with a plastic number to identify the owner, but the number lets me know the priority.
SKULLS FOR CLEANING (AUGUST)
COYOTE
The beetles have been busy cleaning a coyote skull which was started in September. The coyote skull is cleaned now, but I'm leaving it in the box as little baby beetles and larvae are underneath. I also want to see if the teeth will come out with more time.
After a few days of beetle cleaning:
After a week or two of cleaning:
After a month of cleaning:
I'm really happy with the process and development of the beetle colony. This coyote skull was the first skull cleaned by the beetles in my new, enlarged set up. It does take four months for a colony to double in size, but I'm hoping with consistent feeding, the colony will grow quickly.
Because it has been so successful, I have three skulls in the box currently. Each skull is at a different stage. The buck with antlers removed is the latest addition to the box which was placed for cleaning on Sunday, August 11. Let's see how fast it takes for the beetles to clean it. I will provide updates each week!
