Kodiak Bones &
Bugs Taxidermy

Dermestid beetles are a specialized species of beetles that eat only animal flesh. Dermestid beetles are the longstanding preferred method for obtaining the highest-quality cleaning and preparation of animal skulls and bones, used by museum and university collections around the world

Buy 100% Healthy Dermestid Beetles

Buy Dermestid Beetles & Skull Cleaning Services

Healthy Dermestid Beetle Colonies

100% Healthy Dermestid Beetle Colonies

Dermestid beetles are a specialized species of beetle that eats only animal flesh and are the longstanding preferred method of preparing animal skulls for mounting and display, used by many museum and university collections around the world. Read our FAQs for more information about our flesh-eating beetle colonies for sale.

Purchase Dermestid Beetles

Buy Dermestid Beetles

Kodiak beetle colonies are 100% healthy–we absolutely guarantee no mites, fly larvae, or other pests in your purchase. The beetle colonies are housed in a new purpose-built, secure building, designed for keeping out insects. Learn more about how to buy dermestid beetles.

Skull Cleaning

Skull Cleaning

Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy is a professional, licensed, family-operated taxidermy service, specializing only in expert-quality skull cleaning and European mounts, using dermestid beetles.

If you want a high-quality trophy, count on Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy to properly clean and prepare your animal skull trophy with healthy dermestid beetles.

Healthy Dermestid Beetle Colonies For Sale

Our dermestid beetle colonies are 100% healthy. We absolutely guarantee no mites, fly larvae or other pests occurring in our colonies. Our colonies are housed in a purpose-designed building, specifically constructed to keep out other insects.

If not purchasing from Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy, you will want to insure yourself that other sellers maintain the strict quality controls we maintain for our beetles, as these pests could eventually wipe out your colony. We hear frequently from frantic buyers who have purchased dirty bugs from others, and have had pests introduced to their existing colonies. We do not want you to experience this costly frustration.

Preparing skulls with dermestid beetles has several advantages over other methods, such as boiling or composting. Our mission is simple—to provide you with the best possible outcome, utilizing the dermestid beetle colonies preferred by professional taxidermists and art institutions across the world.

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Reasons to Buy Dermestid Beetles

There are many reasons to buy dermestid beetles from Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy, including the following:

  • DIY Skull Cleaning: When you buy dermestid beetles, they are a great way to clean and prepare bones for display, research, or other uses. They eat the flesh off of the bone quickly and efficiently without damaging it in any way. This makes them ideal for use on small animals, such as rodents or birds that have delicate skeletons.
  • Expand Your Taxidermy Business: Serious taxidermists buy dermestid beetles when they want to deliver exceptional results. Dermestid beetles help strip flesh from large mammals like deer, elk, moose, etc., making the taxidermy process much faster and easier than doing it all by hand.
  • Create Unique Art Pieces: Artists buy dermestid beetles and use them to create unique pieces of art. They are used to clean bones and other materials used in sculptures, jewelry, or other types of artwork.
  • Fish Bait: The larvae of these beetles can also be used as fishing bait due to their scent, which attracts fish easily. Many anglers buy dermestid beetles because they prefer using dermestid larvae over other types of bait since they last longer in water and will not rot as quickly as some other baits might when exposed to moisture or high temperatures.
  • Start a Side Business: You could start a local business and provide skull cleaning using dermestid beetles for your family, friends, and others in your community. This is a lucrative business opportunity as the demand for clean bones with intricate details to display or use in art projects is increasing.
  • Science Projects: Schools, universities, and individuals buy dermestid beetles to use in science projects and experiments. They are especially useful for dissection, cleaning bones for further study, or creating skeletons of small animals.

In addition, when you buy dermestid beetles from Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy, we provide ongoing support to ensure your beetle colonies thrive.

Skull
Skull
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{Exactly what I needed, right on time!
Eva 3000
{I've been purchasing beetles from Ken for many years and he is always very helpful and reliable. Best seller in the states.
Sally Piette
{The owner is extremely helpful and happy to help!
Trevon Sater
{Owner is very friendly and helpful with all of the questions I had. Very knowledgeable and the whole process from ordering to shipping was great. Will use Kodiak Bones and Bugs again for sure!
Amanda Libsack
{Ken thank you for the great service the beetles you sent are 1st rate and doing great. Thanks again for the advice keep up the good work
Guy Henry
{Ken is awesome, he provided me with concise instructions on keeping my colony, as well as skull cleaning instructions. The package arrived on time and well packed. I am a new owner, I’ve had lots of questions, Ken has replied in a prompt manner witH answers and suggestions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Amanda Rogers
{“Order arrived on time, the quantity was more than promised and the colony is healthy and happy. Would recommend and would order from again”
Nate Vandertoolen
{I am new to beetles and Ken has been super helpful. He’s help me trouble shoot a few issues and has been very helpful with recommendations on how to improve even a few months after I purchased from him.
Neal Bryce Griffin