FAQs

Can I Send A Skull to Backcountry Beetleworks that was killed in a PA Chronic Wasting Disease management area?

Yes, any skull can be transported/shipped out of those areas to Backcountry Beetleworks if the high risk parts are removed from the head (Ex. Brain, Eyes).

The high risk parts must also be removed if coming from the following states/provinces:

Alberta, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Quebec, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Why should beetles be used for cleaning European mounts?

Using Dermestid beetles for skull cleaning is undisputedly the best, and safest way to get your trophy from the field to your wall. The complexity of an animal skull, especially the delicate nasal bone structure is part of the reason European mounts are sought after in the first place. A properly cleaned undamaged skull can really change the look and feel of a room.

Is the “boiling method” a good alternative to beetle cleaning?

No, a skull should not be boiled. The problem with boiling, is that it will greatly increase your chance of damaging the skull. Boiling an animal’s skull makes the bone brittle and may cause the teeth of the animal to fall out. Also, when a skull is boiled, shrinkage of the skull occurs, and if severe enough it will threaten the structural integrity of the nasal cavity, and eventually the skull itself will fall apart. The shrinkage of the head may also make a difference if the animal skull was being scored for B&C, P&Y, or SCI records

What process does my skull go through when it goes to Backcountry Beetleworks?

To begin the process for cleaning a skull, using conventional methods (knives, handtools), we try to get all extra flesh trimmed from a skull to lessen the amount of work the beetles need to do, and get quicker turnaround times for each skull. It takes significantly less time to cut the flesh off the specimen in the beginning, then having 1,000’s of beetles working at it. After the skull is prepared, it will soak in a water-based solution, and then frozen for a period to kill all unwanted Mites and any other unwelcome pests that the animal has been carrying with it, as they can kill off our colony of good bugs very quickly. After frozen, the skull goes into the beetle tank, and 1-3 days later you will have a completely clean, but discolored skull as a result. At this point the skull is degreased for up to a month, as this is necessary for a skull to stay white for many years. After Degreasing, the skull is whitened, and the finished product is ready for display. Our goal is a perfectly white skull for each customer.

Is a perfectly White Skull a Guarantee?

Here at Backcountry Beetleworks, we will do everything in our power to get a perfectly white skull for our customers.

That being said, the degree of whiteness is somewhat limited to a few factors:

The condition of the skull when we get it (fresher the better)
Naturally occurring oils in the bone
Age of the animal
Species of the animal

How can you tell a skull was not properly cleaned? How do I evaluate quality?

Although a skull may appear white when you take it home from the taxidermist, a skull that has not gone through the correct degreasing process, will over time see grease rise to the surface, discoloring the skull back closer to its original condition.