12 replies to this topic

[PredatorMaster]

I have two euro skulls getting cleaned up. The colony is small right now. Can't remeber how many beetles and larva Tim sent me. But I should have a decent colony in a few months. One skull is the buck shot this season here on base. The other one is the Buck I shot in Texas this season. I hope to start doing some coyote skull and still trying to get a bobcat. If I could shoot them here on base it would be a done deal.  1.jpg   21.25K   10 downloads

[jawbreaker]

Looks pretty cool, let us know how much work is involved in keeping the colony. Ron

[ShooterJohn]

That's a nice setup. Good luck with them. I wish I could keep some but it gets too hot here.

[Switch]

Scott, that's a great set up. I just whitened up my antelope, doe, several coyotes, bobcat and a porcupine skull. Glad to see you're putting those beetles to work.

[Jeff]

I've got a small colony of around 300 to 400 right now. Keeping them warm is the easy part, it's keeping them cool when they're hot that is gonna suck. Over 85 and they can FLY!!!I'm working on beefing my colony up with some brain matter and high quality meats for the first few months. They are all molting and beetling up right now, and are VERY active. Probably because it's been warmer lately. I've done a couple small skulls (squirrel) and currently I'm trying to see how long it takes them to do a fairly large slab of pork.Hopefully by summer I should have something large enough to do multiple medium sized skulls as well as have a system in place to keep them cool enough. They'll (or I'll) get kicked out of the house if they start flying.

[PredatorMaster]

My colony is currently at the house. My wife is already complaining about the smell. So I will have to move them to work. I have a screen top on mine to keep them from flying away. Now that I have seen the larva up close. I remeber them crawling under my iso mat in Kuwaitt. They would crawl in under the mat while I would be lying there reading a book and bite us. The Marines would ask me what they were didn't know at the time. They must thrive out there in the Kuwaitt desert with all the dead camels and goats. I have also seen them in the bone yard on base and the beetles on scat piles.

[Jeff]

Mine are in the garage, but the garage is going to get well above 85 in the summer time and they sure as hell aren't coming in the house! Haha.

[Braz]

Jeff, you got lots of room in your back yard for a tuff shed. Get one, insulate it well, and cover the walls with plywood, run some electricity to it, and install a wall air conditioner with a thermostat. Would make a great reloading room and getaway too.

[Jeff]

I've already got one back there; a nice, newer one. That was my intention...but I need to lay the patio, and run sprinklers first!!You didn't get to see my garage, THAT'S my getaway. I'm looking for a small flatscreen DVD combo and then I'll just need a bathroom out there, haha.

[Braz]

Get too fancy, and you better put a doghouse to sleep in too.

[Jeff]

Already have the insulated kennel. Haha.

[SuperiorSkulls]

That's a nice setup. Good luck with them. I wish I could keep some but it gets too hot here.

John you should have no problem with Dermestid beetles in sacramento. I have a couple colonys and have never had any of the fly unless thy're over 95 degrees. I have cleaned skulls with beetles for years and never had a problem with them. i keep them in a insulated shed outside of my house and it very seldom gets above 95. check out my site if your interested. www.superiorskulls.com

[ShooterJohn]

That's another building my wife wouldn't want until she gets her greenhouse. But thanks for the info.