

click on 2nd bear for larger view





START YOUR DERMESTID BEETLE COLONY FOR PERSONAL USE OR YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL BUSINESS



DERMESTID BEETLES DO THE WORK OF EATING ALL THE FLESH OFF OF SKULLS AND BONES



IMPORTANT FACTS TO KNOW WHEN BUYING DERMESTID BEETLES:



we have been getting many calls from people who have bought beetles from E-bay or other vendors and because many of them only sell bugs and do not really clean skulls, call us for our advice. They thought they were getting a good deal, but the nature of these calls were concerning other bugs/parasites that were also in their beetles when they arrived. We know of 2 e-bay sellers who's beetles are infected with mites. You may not notice the mites unless you look with a dissecting scope or good Magnifying Glass. Colonies with mites will survive for awhile, but will not make a long-term sustainable population. We guarantee our bugs are mite free. If you are looking to buy from other sellers, ask them if they guarantee their beetles are free of these parasites. Better yet, ask to see pictures of the bugs they will be buying



SHOW ME THE BUGS!

When we collect beetles for beetle orders, we separate them from 95% of the debris "frass" that accumulate in the colony. This way, we can get an accurate count on how many bugs you are actually getting. We have actually counted them, then weigh them and make sure all orders are geting the correct ammount (plus some!). We NEVER get any complaints about how many bugs our customers recieved. Of course adults are heavier than tiny larvae, so we make slight adjustments depending on the majority of age classes in the order. Here are some pics of some quantities of bugs.





Beware of sellers who tell you they will ship you your bugs in the waste ("frass") material. It is impossible to really see how many bugs are in there. Here is a pic of a bunch of bugs in frass:



Because ADULT beetles (egg laying) are necessary to immediately build a population, make sure you are getting plenty of adults when you buy bugs. Many businesses will sell you mainly small larvae which will not increase your colony size until they reach adulthood and lay eggs. This could take up to 2 months before you have any new hatchlings in your colony.

Many businesses will tell you 100-300 beetles and larvae are enough to immediately begin cleaning skulls. This may be true if you were cleaning mice skulls, but to clean big game animals, you need thousands of beetle larvae. To attain numbers this high it takes time to build your colonies. Do not be fooled by people claiming you can build a working colony in a few weeks from a handful of larvae. Getting adult beetles is the key, and even if you started with 500 adults, it would take a month before all the baby larvae were big enough to eat large volumes of meat.

The number one reason people buy their beetles from us is that we continue to help and support our customers whenever they have a question about beetle care, skull cleaning, degreasing, whitening and mounting.

We have been cleaning skulls with Dermestid beetles for 25 years, and have experience with virtually all game species. We do a LARGE volume of skulls and have the answers to your skull taxidermy questions.











Most people boil skulls until the meat literally falls off. While cooking, the melted fat soaks into the bone. This results in greasy yellow skulls. Using beetles eliminates this problem.

We are doing all kinds of experiments with the bugs all the time, as they have become part of our local high school biology departments species of interest. We will update any new information we learn this winter/spring. Here, we have learned how to make them "expose themselves" to sex them.

Once a dermestid beetle colony is well established (2-3 months), a deer skull can be cleaned in a day or two. Colonies can become extremely productive. The bear skull pictured above was cleaned by the beetles in less than 24 hrs.

Easy containers are plastic bins bought from large department stores. These bins last a year or so and cannot be beat at roughly $10 each. Heated sheds or heat lamps can keep your colonies warm during the winter months.

Maintenance is at a minimum to keep the colony healthy, the only drawback is the smell that a colony can create. A discrete location or some ventilation is a must. The beetles perform best at 70 - 80 degree temperatures, so keeping them warm is a must. They do not go dormant if temperatures drop below freezing, they die.

WE GUARANTEE LIVE DELIVERY

There are 3 options for purchasing dermestid beetles:



Buy 2 of our #2 Kits of over 2000 bugs each, and we throw a 3rd one in for free. So you get over 6000 bugs!. Thats enough bugs to start cleaning skulls right away! You have to call in this order as it is based on availability. Just call 406-498-5044

When you purchase our #1 "STARTER KIT" we will include:

1. An assortment of 300+ live adult beetles,larvae, and pupae. We guarantee a minimum of 50 adults which are necessary to begin new colonies.

2. Plenty of bedding material that the beetles prefer to lay their eggs in.

3. 2 pages of instruction on how to construct/maintain your colony.

$55.00 + $12.50 shipping/handling





When you purchase our #2 "SUPER STARTER KIT" we will include over 2000 bugs!:

1. An assortment of Over 2000 adults,larvae, and pupae. Guarantee over 200 adults. Equiv. of over 6 #1 kits (over $150 savings)

2. Plenty of bedding material that the beetles prefer to lay their eggs in.

3. 2 pages of instruction on how to construct/maintain your colony.

This Kit will get you cleaning skulls in 3-4 weeks.

this option is will also enable you to start multiple colonies at once.

$230.00 + $16.50 shipping/handling

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Allow up to 7 business days for arrival (very cold temps will delay orders, we will e-mail you if your order is delayed)

We cannot ship out of country (sorry Canada)

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