Thinking of Starting a Dermestid Beetle colony

[Dracorex5]

I am an avid skull collector, and also a bit of a loony as well. Yes, I am one of few mad eneogh to not fear picking up roadkill if it means a good specimen of animal life. Cleaning bones however... is something that always gets to my stomach a bit.

Has anyone here ever had a Dermestid colony or a colony of any sort of flesh eating insect? Any suggestions on exact species or vendors who sell them? How about a good location to set up the colony where the stench and the crawlies won't get out and about? Any advice what so ever is appreciated Thank you!

 

[ZephAmp]

I've kept dermestids for several years and they're great to have around. D. maculatus is generally the best for cleaning skeletons though D. talpinus may be another good choice if anybody ever gets them established. If you keep the colony dry and don't overfeed it should actually have a somewhat pleasant odor (sort of like molasses almost.)

 

[Camden]

Never kept these, but I've done a lot of reading as I'm pretty interested in them myself. I've read about people keeping them in: Large sterilite bins, large glass tanks, and even
large chest freezers (Not on, of course.) with some holes cut and some screen patches glued on. Bugsincyberspace.com sells Dermestes lardarius in groups of 12.
http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Dermestid-Beetles-dozen-bic994.htm

 

[catfishrod69]

Dermestids are awesome at cleaning bones. Alot of bigger taxidermists use them. I also do taxidermy, but use a powder called Sal-Soda. You clean all the large chunkcs off the skull, and then boil it in water with the soda, and it turns everything else into jelly, then you just rinse and scrub off the rest of the stuff. The dermestids would be alot better for a hands off cleaning. I have heard that they wont touch animals with hair on, but not sure. The least you could do is skin it, and then toss it in. I have dermestids in with my roaches and crickets. They are more of a bother to me though.

 

[BQC123]

I have kept dermestids, and they are awesome for cleaning bones. They do require some care as far as humidity. I always kept a heat lamp to keep things dried out. Unfortunately a temperature spike took mine out. I used a 10 gal aquarium. Currently, I am converting a large chest freezer to house them, and including a fan for ventilation to keep the humidity down. There is some smell, and preperation of what you put in really helps with that. The worst part for me was degreasing. It can be time consuming, but is the key to a properly finished product.

 

[Dracorex5]

I'm not sure molasses smells like, but if it doesnt smell like flesh-rot I'm certain I can take it. I'm thinking a large maybe 40 gallon tank for a few. I've raised other sorts of beetles before but none this small nor so many!

And catfishrod does the Sal-Soda tint the skulls yellowish? I've tried a few different boiling methods and I always end up with yellowy skulls :/ I can't use any of the highly effective soaking-for-months methods due to the family so dermies were my last choice. Anyone have any fan system ideas for a tank for these little guys? Thanks! You guys are great

 

[catfishrod69]

Yes the Sal-Soda does tint them yellow a little. Afterwards you can soak them in peroxide to whiten them, but i never do.

 

[BQC123]

The yellow tint is from fat. Simmering, you never want to actually boil the skull, can actually cook it into the bone and make it harder to remove.
Taxidermy.net is probably the best source of info. Be sure to check through the older stuff. Everything you need is there.
http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/board,17.0.html
I have a book and several videos on the dermestids, but got much better info there.

Most people use a small computer fan to circulate the air. Running a duct outside will remove most of the smell while keeping the air circulated.
I kept mine with carefresh bedding, and added chunks of styro. The larvae bore into it, pupate, and emerge as adults. I keept them at 78f, and always tried to keep the humidity below 50%. Anything more and a mite infestation is likely. Remove most of the meat, dry it by a fan until it is a jerky like consistancy, and add the item to the colony. I would lightly mist whatever I was cleaning every couple days. Just remember, it takes a LOT of beetles to clean. I tried not to add anything that would not be eaten in a couple days. When working with a small colony you will need to do skeletons in smaller portions.