Museums and forensic scientists seeking to clean animal skeletons now have a promising new option: superworm larvae. Researchers from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran propose using Zophobas morio larvae as a practical and safe alternative to traditional methods, which often carry risks of bone damage or environmental hazards.

Existing methods like dermestid beetles are effective but pose infestation risks, threatening delicate collections. Superworm larvae, however, offer a more manageable solution. Their cleaning phase lasts 10–12 weeks, longer than beetles, and the larvae do not pupate in crowded conditions, simplifying colony management and reducing escape potential.

Experiments involved cleaning various donated specimens, including a gray wolf and an eagle-owl, with superworm larvae. A parallel marbled polecat skeleton was cleaned using conventional boiling for comparison. The study aimed to verify if these common pet food inhabitants could match the tissue removal efficiency of beetles without the associated pest control headaches.

This research positions superworms as a viable, less risky tool for preparing specimens, potentially mitigating the costly and destructive consequences of beetle infestations in institutional collections.