Beetles to clean skull for European mount

For euro mounts, beetles are the real deal. A friend of mine in Texas does my skull mounts. They come out looking like this

How does a fire ant mound do???

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How does a fire ant mound do???

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Not as good as you’d think. After the ants failed I tied one off to the dock; crabs are no joke.

Depending on skull and amount of beetles, 1-2 days

I don't know of many taxidermists using beetles anymore. You have to keep them fed year-round, and the bone requires much more degreasing before you can whiten it (compared to simmering or heated/cold maceration). I still simmer them, but most people are going to maceration.

I skin it, simmer it with a little dawn soap for a few hrs, then pressure wash it. let it dry, tape antlers and I coat with 40% hydrogen peroxide. Set it out in sun to dry. Here’s a few I’ve done over the years

It’s the bill from an 88# spoonbill. It’s pretty delicate and intricate work.
Beetles were recommended because of this.

What magicman534 says

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I skin it, simmer it with a little dawn soap for a few hrs, then pressure wash it. let it dry, tape antlers and I coat with 40% hydrogen peroxide. Set it out in sun to dry. Here’s a few I’ve done over the years

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Nice work. I did my first one last year, boiled a lot and brushed a bit here and there. I did not bleach - it's not that far off from the ones I paid 50 bucks for though. It wasn't a big one so I was good with experimenting. Next time I have a few lessons to do differently.

I’ve watched several videos that show them finishing a deer skull in a little over 24 hrs.