Blue Crabs and Beetles

[boneheadtaxidermy]

Hey everyone,

 I am new on here and pretty new to the taxidermy world.  I have been reading about everyones method of the way they mount blue crabs. Just wondering if I could possibly use my dermistid beetles to eat the meat out of the crab or will this hurt the shell somehow?

I think I might give it a try since I live in the heart of where blue crabs come from, I can go catch a few and test but figured I would ask on here first.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason Rizzo
Bonehead Taxidermy

[George Roof]

Not a good idea. Dermistids and other flesh eating insects eat FLESH. With crabs that includes all the connective tissue, webbing, and soft shell.

[boneheadtaxidermy]

Good point, Thanks for the info

[trbruning]

plus.... why waste all that good crab meat 

[George Roof]

I guess I "waste" them all, then.  One crab isn't much by itself.  Sort of like eating one potato chip. You need at least a dozen.  I inject mine, let them dry and then clean out the body meat and fill with BONDO. For what I charge to do a crab, I can buy two bushels of them during prime market season.

[trbruning]

thats very true george, but here in michigan fresh crab arent as readily available as they are on the east coast. but anyways it was jsut a joke 

[George Roof]

Understand tr. I do have to admit some second thoughts when I get in one of these big 10/11 inch crabs from Wye Mills, Maryland. They sometimes feel as if they have half a pound of meat in them.

[boneheadtaxidermy]

There are definitely some big crabs in the Wye, but have you ever received any crabs from the Chester River? I'm from Kent Island MD and used to crab full time for a living and have crabbed both the Wye River, Chester River and Eastern Bay and to be honest my biggest crabs came from the Chester.

[George Roof]

Bonehead, I had a hunting lease that butted up to the Chester river for years.  Now I didn't crab "seriously" or know any of the locals, but all I ever got from the lease were just ordinary sized crabs.  I have no reason do doubt you, just no experience.

[jockamoe]

Just thought I would share a story, Years ago my father caught a Blue Crab in the Agawam River behind his property on Cape Cod. It measured 18" tip to tip across the spread claws. He put it in a wire mesh container and left it in the garden for the summer. He did nothing to it except pose it in the container. The ants and everything else that crawls completely cleaned the crab and left the shell intact. He had it for years. Never could bring it in the house though.

[George Roof]

Jock, the Wye River and Chester River crabs are likely as big if not bigger than that. The proper way to measure a crab is from point to point on the carapace shell.  A 10 inch crab is probably over 20 inches if you spread eagle him like your dad did.