One of the most valuable tools a forensic specialist, skull collector or museum curator can use is Dermestes maculatus, or the flesh-eating beetle. If you want to preserve the skeletal remains of an animal in a pristine condition, start a colony of these unique scavengers and let them take care of your bone-cleaning needs. Cultivating a colony of Dermestes maculatus is fun, easy and takes little time. Best of all, they don’t smell and they won’t beg you to take them for walks!
Get to Know Your Flesh Eating Beetles
Fact #1: Larvae Do Most of the Work
Once hatched from eggs, larvae remain as larvae for about six weeks, molting multiple times as they increase in size. While beetles will consume flesh, they are not nearly as voracious as larvae. When they are ready to transform into adult beetles, larvae burrow into the ground and develop into pupae. After a week or so, pupae emerge as fully grown beetles that live for an average of six months.
Fact #2: Flesh eating Beetles Eat Anything That’s not Metal or Glass
When you put bones in your beetle community, don’t just leave the bone(s) for days without monitoring beetle/larvae activity. Once they’ve consumed all the flesh, the colony will start devouring horns, nails, hoofs, hair and anything containing keratin. Also, the more consumables your beetle colony has access to, the more active they remain. Once most or all flesh is gone from a skeletal piece, remove the bone immediately. If you plan to store the bone, let it air dry for a day or two to prevent possible mold growth.
Fact #3: Best Bedding for Beetles is Styrofoam
You can use regular animal bedding or shredded newspaper to cover the bottom of your beetle bungalow but anecdotal evidence claims beetle larvae prefer Styrofoam in which to burrow and develop into adults. Whatever material you decide on, you might notice a powdery or granule material accompanying bedding. This is the result of beetles chewing up bedding and excrement to make “frass”. It’s normal and harmless so just leave it alone.
Fact #4: Keep Beetles Cool–and Grounded
Like many other beetles, flesh eating beetles can fly. However, they’ll remain on the ground as long as the temperature stays below 80°F. However, their mating, egg-laying and consumption activity increases when temperatures hover around 70°F to 75°F. If you need to warm up their environment, use a heating device that does not illuminate their environment. Light will reduce beetle activity.
Fact #5: Beetles are not Vultures
Although they love to eat anything organic, these beetles do not like rotten or spoiled meat. If you found an animal skull that appears several days old, don’t feed it to your beetles. The preferred food of Dermestes maculatus dried or fresh meat about as chewy and thick as beef jerky.
For more information about professionally cleaning skeletal remains, please call Kodiak Bones and Bugs Taxidermy today.
