has anybody ever used those taxidermy beatles for european mounts if so do they bleach the antlers and do they get all of the me

[tennesseedeerhunter]

has anybody ever used those taxidermy beatles for european mounts if so do they bleach the antlers and do they get all of the meat off of the skull

[ITHACASXS]

I think what you're writing about is spelled beetle. Unless of course, you mean John, Paul, George and Ringo.

[Ncarl]

They eat all the meat off the skull. I dont want to smart a$$ but bleach bleaches the antlers.

[country road]

You really shouldn't use bleach on the skull because it will weaken the bone. Peroxide---the kind hairdressers use---is better. I've considered getting a colony of those beetles, but you have to keep them in a controlled temperature environment, and there is a definite odor problem, so I'll just keep cooking and scraping.

[rickyno5]

Yes, they clean the skull very well. And no they don't bleach it or degrease it. Country road nailed it with industrial strength hydrogen peroxide diluted down a little with water. Make sure not to get it on your antlers though. I have a few buddies with bug boxes and the beetles are very sensitive to climate changes. Also one oversight a lot of people have is that hunting season is only a few months out of the year but beetles need to eat year round. So those guys are always bringing home random roadkill to feed their beetles. And yes, wherever you keep them is going to be very smelly so expect to dedicate an entire small building to them.

[Gary Devine]

My friend went to a guy who did the european mount with live beetles. Those hungry little suckers ate everything. He just got his archery buck back a couple weeks ago. It turned out awesome. Looks better then bleach mounts.

[99explorer]

It may take a little longer, but a skull left outdoors (where it can't be stolen) will accomplish the same result, and eliminate the bother of keeping beetles.
I once painted a dried skull with coat of flat off-white house paint, and it looked very good.

[Sourdough Dave]

Our indian high school on the rez has a science project using these flesh eating beetles and they will eat everything edible from a skull. Not a better bet than a good taxidermist but a whole lot cheaper if all you want is a lousy gruesome skull on your wall where a nicely mounted rack of antlers should be hanging.