[Nhcoll-l] dermestid colony slowing down

[Cassidy, Kelly Michela]

Have you tried giving them hamburger meat? Similar to the suggestion of greasy bones. Maybe bison mandibles are too low fat. Use 80% burger. I spread it on a piece of lab bench paper, and let it dry for a day or two so it doesn’t mold before putting it in the bug tank.

Some years ago, I was having problems with our colony, which has been going for decades. Somewhere on the web, I stumbled across the theory that some paper towels have residual systemic insecticide, often used in tree plantations to control beetles. I stopped using paper towels in the bug colony. I was feeding the colony with hamburger or cheap chicken thighs, dried on paper towels, when we didn’t have carcasses. I switched to lab bench paper and the colony rebounded. I’ve never put paper towels in the colony again, but I’ve wondered ever since whether it was coincidence or if the paper towels really retained enough insecticide to kill the beetles. Anyway, if you’re using paper towels, it’s something to consider.

Dr. Kelly M. Cassidy, Curator, Conner Museum
School of Biological Sciences
Box 644236
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-4236
509-335-3515

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Leslie L Skibinski
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2023 7:48 AM
To: NHCOLL-L (nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu) <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] dermestid colony slowing down


[EXTERNAL EMAIL]
Hi Nick,

If I remember correctly, In a previous job, we had a few times when our colony slowed down.  It was because we had very greasy/fat bird specimens.  I think that bison would be pretty lean, especially the mandibles.  Maybe there is not enough grease/fat or else the “meat” has dried out and is not appealing anymore.

--Leslie

Leslie L. Skibinski
Collection Manager

Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, New York  14850
Phone:  (607) 273-6623  ext. 128
Fax:  (607) 273-6620



From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Nick Cairns
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2023 10:39 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] dermestid colony slowing down

Morning everyone,
We're having an issue with our dermestid colony. Despite seemingly good temperature and humidity the colony is failing to process the modest amounts of material we are putting in with them. They've mostly been stripping bison mandibles for the last few months but seems to be consistently slowing down. We've tried warming them up and subdividing them but it's still slow.  Any advice or experience with this would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Nick

Non-avian curator
Royal Alberta Museum
Edmonton Alberta, Canada
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