Star CityBeetles, Bones & Oddities
Clean to the bone
A colony of flesh-eating beetles with one job: picking bone clean, inside and out, down to the most delicate detail. European mounts and specimens of every kind. If it has bones, bring it in.
01 / The method
Nature's
cleanup
crew.
Dermestid beetles do one thing better than anything else on earth: they eat flesh and leave bone. Our colony works around the clock on every surface and every inner chamber of a specimen, down to the paper-thin structures inside the nose. It's the same method natural history museums use to prepare their collections.
Precise
Teeth, sutures and the most fragile structures come back intact and in place.
Thorough
Beetles reach every cavity and chamber, inside and out.
Any specimen
Shrew to bull elk. Fur, feather, fin or scale. The colony handles it.
02 / Recent work
The Wall
Fresh off the colony. More on Facebook.
03 / Bones & oddities
Hundreds on
the Shelf.
Not everything here is a customer's trophy. Shelves of cleaned, tagged skulls, gator heads, framed fish rostrums and things you won't find anywhere else in Lincoln. Collectors, artists, teachers, the merely curious: come see what's in the case.
04 / What goes in the bugs
Anything with Bones
Pricing depends on the specimen. Call for current rates. The price is confirmed before work starts, so nothing changes at pickup.
Small Game
Squirrels, rabbits, bats and the tiny, fragile stuff.SmallPredators
Coyote, bobcat, fox, raccoon, beaver, badger.MediumDeer & Pronghorn
Whitetail, mule deer and pronghorn. Antlers and horns stay on.DeerElk & Big Game
Call ahead so we can plan room for the rack.LargeBirds
Waterfowl, turkey, upland birds and more.FeatherFish & Reptiles
Gar, paddlefish, turtles, snakes and other scaly things.Fin & scaleOddities
Something strange? Call and ask. Or browse The Shelf.Anything elseFinal price depends on the specimen and how it comes in.
05 / The process
Field to wall.
Prep it
Cape off, meat trimmed. Freeze it if you can't drop off in a day or two.
Drop it
Call or text to set a time. Bring your name, number and harvest info.
Bugs eat
The colony strips every bit of tissue. Bone stays untouched.
We finish
Cleaned, inspected and finished, ready to hang.
Hang it
We call when it's ready. You pick up a mount for life.
Before you bring it in.
Five minutes at the truck saves your skull. Follow these and the beetles do the rest.
Trim it down
Remove the hide, cape or feathers and as much meat as you easily can. Leave antlers and horns alone.
Pre-treat it
No boiling, bleach or chemicals before drop-off. The beetles need it raw.
Keep it cold
Can't drop off in a day or two? Bag it and freeze it.
Label it
Your name and number on the bag, plus harvest or permit info.
Asked at
drop-off.
How long does it take?
Depends on the size of the specimen and how busy deer season gets. You'll get an honest estimate at drop-off and a call the minute it's ready.
Will it smell?
No. When it leaves here, it's clean bone, ready to display in the house.
What can you clean?
Pretty much anything with bones. Mammals of every size, birds, fish, reptiles and the strange stuff. Not sure about yours? Call or text and ask.
Do I need to remove the brain or eyes?
Get what you easily can. The beetles handle the hard-to-reach parts. That's the whole point.
Where do I drop off?
Call or text (402) 416-6478 and we'll set a time and share the drop-off location.
Do you sell skulls or oddities?
Sometimes. The oddities shelf rotates. Message us on Facebook to see what's there.