Professional Skull Cleaning
Specializing in Quality Dermestid Beetles
Skull Cleaning Services
Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy is a professional, licensed, family-operated taxidermy service, specializing solely in quality skull cleaning and European mounts, using the time-tested method of dermestid beetles. We would like to contribute to your hunt by providing professional elk, bear, and deer skull beetle cleaning, ensuring your trophy is ready for proud display.
Dermestid beetles, often called flesh-eating beetles or skull beetles, provide a natural, highly effective method for cleaning skulls without causing damage. Unlike chemical or heat-based techniques, these beetles meticulously remove flesh while preserving the bone’s intricate details. Their precision makes them the top choice for museums, taxidermists, and collectors who require a thorough yet gentle cleaning process.
Advantages of Skull Cleaning Beetles
While there are various methods available for skull cleaning services, such as boiling or composting, the use of flesh-eating beetles stands out as a superior choice. Not only does it ensure a comprehensive cleaning, but it also preserves the intricate details and delicate structures of the skull.
Here are just a few of the reasons to choose professional skull cleaning services with skull beetles:
Deep and Detailed Cleaning – It’s the larvae of the dermestid beetles that do the actual cleaning. They meticulously remove flesh, even from the deepest recesses of the skull. This level of precision ensures that every nook and cranny is addressed.
Preservation of Delicate Structures – Tools, especially when used by less experienced individuals, can leave marks and damage delicate parts of a skull. The most vulnerable of these are the nasal bones. Regrettably, some skull cleaning services damage or entirely remove these fragile structures. However, using dermestid beetles avoids such issues.
At Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy, we believe that these nasal bones are vital, playing a role in defining the uniqueness of animals like bears, deer, moose, and caribou.
Odorless Results – A skull cleaned by dermestid beetles will have no unpleasant smell. This is because the beetles ensure all traces of meat are gone. Plus, there’s no risk of emulsified fats seeping into the bone, which can cause a lingering odor.
Bone Integrity – Some cleaning methods can weaken the natural structures of the bone, causing issues like loosened teeth or weakened suture lines. This is not the case with skull beetles. Furthermore, methods like boiling can cause the skull to shrink—another problem avoided with elk, bear, and deer skull beetle cleaning.
Post-Cleaning Enhancement – Once the skull cleaning beetles have done their job, the skulls undergo a degreasing and whitening process. The result? A pristine, naturally cleaned skull ready for display.
If you want a high-quality trophy, trust Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy for expert elk, bear, and deer skull beetle cleaning.
How to Ship Skulls for Skull Cleaning Services
Before shipping, skulls should be fleshed as much as possible, frozen, and securely wrapped in multiple layers of plastic trash bags. USPS Priority Mail typically delivers within 2-3 days. Please notify us before sending your shipment so we can anticipate its arrival. Once received, each skull is assigned an identification tag to ensure proper tracking. (For bear skulls, any required seals must be affixed before cleaning.)
Elk Degreasing, cleaning & whitening: $175 |
Deer/Bear Degreasing, cleaning & whitening: $125 |
Other Species Prices are proportional. We have facilities to clean skulls and racks as large as moose and caribou. |
Please ship skulls to:
KBBT
24 High Meadow Drive
Lyle, WA 98635
Once the skull is fully cleaned, it will be securely packaged and shipped via Priority Mail or the shipping method of your choice. We will notify you at the time of shipment and provide a tracking number for delivery confirmation. To ensure a finished, pest-free skull, we implement strict quality control measures to prevent any live skull beetles or larvae from remaining in the final product.
If you are searching online for “skull cleaning beetles near me”—we have you covered! We are confident you will find that we offer high-quality skull cleaning services at competitive prices.
Searching for Expert Skull Cleaning Services?
At Kodiak Bones & Bugs Taxidermy, we specialize in revealing the intricate beauty hidden within every skull. Using nature’s own cleaners—flesh-eating beetles—we promise precision, integrity, and unparalleled care for every piece entrusted to us.
For a service that respects the natural essence and structure of your specimen, trust in Kodiak’s specialized beetle skull cleaning services today!