Dermestid beetles in PG?

[Camalexin_Addams]

Edit: my beetles have come in!

Hello everyone! Long time lurker here and I'm sorry if this isn't the right board for this but,

Does anyone in and around Prince George have dermestid beetles for sale? I'm looking for lots and I'm wary of buying from online sellers as I can't see the bugs.

Has anyone actually bought beetles from online that were good? I'm getting into taxidermy and love the way skull mounts look.

Thanks guys!

[emerson]

When you get some let me know. Looking to do some bear skulls this spring.

[Camalexin_Addams]

I will make a new topic when I get the beatles in and eating!

[celticwolf]

Im also looking for Beatles for this spring bear season, Im in the lower mainland

[moosinaround]

You get beetles let me know too!

[1899]

My friend here in PG does excellent skull mounts. He is an old German guy and does it the "old fashion" way in water.

[StuBrown]

My friend has done a lot. He does a black garbage bag in a bucket on his roof in the summer time. The maggots eat it all the way threw and since the bucket is on his roof there is little to no smell. I have a bison head I have boiled 3 times now and is still not clean. The rest is so cooked and dried nothing will eat it anymore. I am going to remove the horns and try to add the ash to it now. It might have worked if the head was not so huge...

[bc traper]

I have had beetles for a long time Bought them on line with no problems Harder to get them know

[1899]

My friend has done a lot. He does a black garbage bag in a bucket on his roof in the summer time. The maggots eat it all the way threw and since the bucket is on his roof there is little to no smell. I have a bison head I have boiled 3 times now and is still not clean. The rest is so cooked and dried nothing will eat it anymore. I am going to remove the horns and try to add the ash to it now. It might have worked if the head was not so huge...

You need to soak it in water first and add a bit of baking soda (iirc) to the boiling water.

Here is a Blacktail skull he did for me:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/1899/BT_zpspup2q0ur.jpg

[mooze]

You need to soak it in water first and add a bit of baking soda (iirc) to the boiling water.

Here is a Blacktail skull he did for me:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/1899/BT_zpspup2q0ur.jpg


For the initial cooking use a detergent to dissolve the fat (the stuff in dishwasher detergent is very aggessive). The Germans then use H2O2, hydrogenperoxide in a second step. That is why it is so nice and white. Not baking soda.....

[1899]

For the initial cooking use a detergent to dissolve the fat (the stuff in dishwasher detergent is very aggessive). The Germans then use H2O2, hydrogenperoxide in a second step. That is why it is so nice and white. Not baking soda.....

Yes, he uses hydrogen peroxide on the last step - after the flesh has been completely cleaned off - but I am pretty sure he uses baking soda in the boiling water too. It makes the fleshy stuff soft. If I am not mistaken some chefs use baking soda as a meat tenderizer.

[Camalexin_Addams]

Hey guys I got the beetles in and eating. I've got them working on a small cat skeleton right now. I've got the skull 'bleaching' right now.

Shoot me a pm if you need a skull cleaned and whitened. I don't have plaques though, they are a big up front cost I don't have at the moment.

What are some reasonable prices for just cleaning and whitening? The Internet prices seem to vary from place to place.

[TThomsen]

I would be interested in beetles, would they clean skulls with some dried meat on them have a moose that I cut European style, and another with just the top of the skull left tried boiling that one and couldn't get a pot wide enough to have the whole thing sit in there , I have a bear skull I wouldn't mind having whitened either pm me with your prices

[G-bear]

I have had beetles for a long time Bought them on line with no problems Harder to get them know
I'm looking for someone with beetles to clean a Texas longhorn skull ?

[bighornbob]

I'm looking for someone with beetles to clean a Texas longhorn skull ?

Careful with horns. I talked to my taxidermists about using beetles on a bighorn. He says he never uses beetles on horns as he actually had some beetles eat a couple inches off the bases of a bighorn. He said the horns are made from the same thing as hair and fingernails and the beetles will eat them, just takes longer then meat and such.

Get the horns off first then let the beetles clean-up the skull.

BHB