Can I introduce dung beetles to my back yard?

Factual Questions
1

I have two dogs, and several times every day I let them into the back yard to poop. I must admit that I have been a bit lazy lately when it comes to removing the dog poop from the back yard. Because of this, it really isn’t safe to walk anywhere back there now.

I have read a lot about dung beetles online, and it seems that they can live in a variety of areas and climates. However, I have some questions, if any of you happen to be dung beetle experts.

Dung beetles seem to be very particular when it comes to the type of dung they will collect. Will they collect dog poop?

Do you think that the amount of dog poop in my yard (a goodly amount, although I do not have an exact weight) would be enough to keep them around, or will they all run away?

How many dung beetles would a person need for an average size backyard? ( I am estimating that it is about 600 square feet. I will have a more exact size when I get home later today.) Judging by prices I have seen online, I should be able to purchase 1,000 dung beetles for between $100-$200.

Where will all of the dung beetles go when they are done rolling dung around for the day? I read that some of them burrow…do you think they will attempt to get into the house or will they be content burrowing in the back yard?

Is this a really stupid idea, or perhaps a clever way to clear dog poop out of my back yard?

2

This may not be very helpful, but

  1. Let me know if it works, and I’ll be next in line at the beetle window, and

  2. This thread should make the top ten for 2005 in the category of serendipitous confluence of thread title and username.

3

Newcastle in NSW Australia anecdotally claims good results.

[url=“http://www.litter.vic.gov.au/www/html/690-lake-macquarie-council39s-dung-beetle-release-evaluation-nsw.asp?intSiteID=2”]But here’s information about an actual scientific study in New South Wales to gauge the efficacy of using dung beetles to mitigate dog waste
[/quote]
.

Another relevant link:
http://www.iimage.com.au/ava.com.au/UAM/proc00/jackson.htm

It seems you’re far from the first to wonder about this.

4

Can dung beetles become invasive? Would you be releasing a foreign invader species into your yard that could cause problems for native wildlife?

5

Do your dogs bite? :slight_smile:

6

IIRC, dung beetles prefer the poop of elephants and other grassland animals. The roll the poop balls to their nest and eat the undigested matter. I have found undigested stuff in my dog’s poop but it usually isn’t edible, especially to a beetle. I have found chewed up crayon, string, rubber bands, even a little metal bell that broke of a cat collar.

Now the question remains, do dung beetles write words of wit?

7

Not around here, I don’t. I save it for the bathroom walls. Do you ever read them? :slight_smile:

8

This isn’t quite accurate; there are species of dung beetle here in the UK that are kleptocoprophagic (great word) of dog faeces. I see them quite regularly cleaning up the sandy paths in the Forest of Bere. I think they are in the genus Geotrupes.

9

“Dungbeetles, this is The Unkempt One’s Back Yard. B]The Unkempt One**'s Back Yard, these are the Dungbeetles. I hope you both hit it off splendidly!”

Now, was that so hard?

But remember, if you serve the Dungbeetles & The Unkempt One’s Back Yard cocktails, etiquette demands that ordurves or canapes also be served.

:smiley: