Political Party Logos - Republican Elephant and Democrat Donkey

Political Party Logos - Republican Elephant and Democrat Donkey Republicans have long been associated with elephants, and Democrats have embraced the  donkey for centuries in American politics. Related Story:  Why Republicans Are Red and Democrats Are Blue But where did those icons come from? And why have the elephant and donkey symbols stood the test of time? About the Democratic Donkey The Democrats use of the donkey has its roots in the presidential campaign of 1828, often described as one of the dirtiest political campaigns in U.S. history. Related Story: Do Negative Ads Work? President John Quincy Adams was being challenged by  Democratic Andrew Jackson, who had a colorful history that his opponents sought to capitalize on.  As 19th Century history expert Robert McNamara has written: For those who detested Andrew Jackson, there was a goldmine of material, as Jackson was famed for his incendiary temper and had led a life filled with violence and controversy. He had taken part in several duels, killing a man in a notorious one in 1806. When commanding troops in 1815, he had ordered the execution of militia members accused of desertion. Even Jackson’s marriage became fodder for campaign attacks. Jacksons political opponents took to referring to him as a jackass, a  derogatory term the candidate eventually embraced. Explains Smithsonian: Emboldened by his detractors, Jackson embraced the image as the symbol of his campaign, rebranding the donkey as steadfast, determined, and willful, instead of wrong-headed, slow, and obstinate. Related Story:  Print a Coloring Page Showing  the Donkey and Elephant The image of Jackson as a donkey stuck. In January of 1870,  Harpers Weekly political cartoonist and loyal  Republican  Thomas Nast began using the donkey to represent Democrats on a regular basis and the imagery stuck. The cartoon was titled  A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion. About the Republican Elephant Nast is responsible for the Republican elephant, as well. He first use an elephant to represent Republicans in a  Harpers Weekly cartoon in November of 1874. He would go on to use it many more times, though it remains uncertain why, specifically, Nast chose an elephant to represent the Republican Party. Wrote The New York Times: By the 1880 presidential election, cartoonists for other publications had incorporated the elephant symbol into their own work, and by March 1884 Nast could refer to the image he had created for the Republican Party as â€Å"The Sacred Elephant.†

The Archaeology and History of Bitumen

The Archaeology and History of Bitumen Bitumen- also known as asphaltum or tar- is a black, oily, viscous form of petroleum, a naturally-occurring organic byproduct of decomposed plants. It is waterproof and flammable, and this remarkable natural substance has been used by humans for a wide variety of tasks and tools for at least the past 40,000 years. There are a number of processed types of bitumen used in the modern world, designed for paving streets and roofing houses, as well as additives to diesel or other gas oils. The pronunciation of bitumen is BICH-eh-men in British English and by-TOO-men in North America. What Bitumen Is Natural bitumen is the thickest form of petroleum there is, made up of 83% carbon, 10% hydrogen and lesser amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other elements. It is a natural polymer of low molecular weight with a remarkable ability to change with temperature variations: at lower temperatures, it is rigid and brittle, at room temperature it is flexible, at higher temperatures bitumen flows. Bitumen deposits occur naturally throughout the worldthe best known are Trinidads Pitch Lake and the La Brea Tar Pit in California, but significant deposits are found in the Dead Sea, Venezuela, Switzerland, and northeastern Alberta, Canada. The chemical composition and consistency of these deposits vary significantly. In some places, bitumen extrudes naturally from terrestrial sources, in others it appears in liquid pools which can harden into mounds, and in still others it oozes from underwater seeps, washing up as tarballs along sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. Uses and Processing In ancient times, bitumen was used for a huge number of things: as a sealant or adhesive, as building mortar, as incense, and as decorative pigment and texture on pots, buildings or human skin. The material was also useful in waterproofing canoes and other water transport, and in the mummification process toward the end of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. The method of processing bitumen was nearly universal: heat it until the gasses condense and it melts, then add tempering materials to tweak the recipe to the proper consistency. Adding minerals such as ochre makes bitumen thicker; grasses and other vegetable matter add stability; waxy/oily elements such as pine resin or beeswax make it more viscous. Processed bitumen was more expensive as a trade item than unprocessed, because of the cost of the fuel consumption. The earliest known use of bitumen was by Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals some 40,000 years ago. At Neanderthal sites such as Gura Cheii Cave (Romania) and Hummal and Umm El Tlel in Syria, bitumen was found adhering to stone tools, probably to fasten a wooden or ivory haft to the sharp-edged tools. In Mesopotamia, during the late Uruk and Chalcolithic periods at sites such as Hacinebi Tepe in Syria, bitumen was used for the construction of buildings and water-proofing of reed boats, with among other uses. Evidence of Uruk Expansionist Trade Research into bitumen sources has illuminated the history of the expansionist period of Mesopotamian Uruk. An intercontinental trading system was established by Mesopotamia during the Uruk period (3600-3100 BC), with the creation of trading colonies in what is today southeastern Turkey, Syria, and Iran. According to seals and other evidence, the trade network involved textiles from southern Mesopotamia and copper, stone, and timber from Anatolia, but the presence of sourced bitumen has enabled scholars to map out the trade. For example, much of the bitumen in Bronze age Syrian sites has been found to have originated from the Hit seepage on the Euphrates River in southern Iraq. Using historical references and geological survey, scholars have identified several sources of bitumen in Mesopotamia and the Near East. By performing analyses using a number of different spectroscopy, spectrometry, and elemental analytical techniques, these scholars have defined the chemical signatures for many of the seeps and deposits. Chemical analysis of archaeological samples has been somewhat successful in identifying the provenance of the artifacts. Bitumen and Reed Boats Schwartz and colleagues (2016) suggest that the onset of bitumen as a trade good began first because it was used as waterproofing on the reed boats that were used to ferry people and goods across the Euphrates. By the Ubaid period of the early 4th millennium BC, bitumen from northern Mesopotamian sources reached the Persian Gulf. The earliest reed boat discovered to date was coated with bitumen, at the site of H3 at As-Sabiyah in Kuwait, dated about 5000 BC; its bitumen was found to have come from the Ubaid site of Mesopotamia. Asphaltum samples from the slightly later site of Dosariyah in Saudi Arabia, were from bitumen seepages in Iraq, part of the wider Mesopotamian trade networks of Ubaid Period 3. The Bronze Age Mummies of Egypt The use of bitumen in embalming techniques on Egyptian mummies was important beginning at the end of the New Kingdom (after 1100 BC)in fact, the word from which mummy is derived mumiyyah means bitumen in Arabic. Bitumen was a major constituent for Third Intermediate period and Roman period Egyptian embalming techniques, in addition to traditional blends of pine resins, animal fats, and beeswax. Several Roman writers such as Diodorus Siculus (first century BC) and Pliny (first century AD) mention bitumen as being sold to Egyptians for embalming processes. Until advanced chemical analysis was available, black balms used throughout the Egyptian dynasties were assumed to have been treated with bitumen, mixed with fat/oil, beeswax, and resin. However, in a recent study Clark and colleagues (2016) found that none of the balms on mummies created prior to the New Kingdom contained bitumen, but the custom began in the Third Intermediate (ca 1064-525 BC) and Late (ca 525-332 BC) periods and became most prevalent after 332, during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Bitumen trade in Mesopotamia continued well after the end of the Bronze Age. Russian archaeologists recently discovered a Greek amphora full of bitumen on the Taman peninsula on the northern shore of the Black Sea. Several samples including numerous large jars and other objects were recovered from the Roman-era port of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates, containing or treated with bitumen from the Hit seepage in Iraq or other unidentified Iranian sources. Mesoamerica and Sutton Hoo Recent studies in pre-Classic and post-classic period Mesoamerica have found bitumen was used to stain human remains, perhaps as a ritual pigment. But more likely, say researchers Argez and associates, the staining may have resulted from using heated bitumen applied to stone tools which were used to dismember those bodies. Fragments of shiny black lumps of bitumen were found scattered throughout the 7th-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo, England, in particular within the burial deposits near remains of a helmet. When excavated and first analyzed in 1939, the pieces were interpreted as Stockholm tar, a substance creating by burning pine wood, but recent reanalysis (Burger and colleagues 2016) has identified the shards as bitumen having come from a Dead Sea source: very rare but clear evidence of a continuing trade network between Europe and the Mediterranean during the early Medieval period. Chumash of California In Californias Channel Islands, the prehistoric period Chumash used bitumen as body paint during curing, mourning and burial ceremonies. They also used it to attach shell beads onto objects such as mortars and pestles and steatite pipes, and they used it for hafting projectile points to shafts and fishhooks to cordage. Asphaltum was also used for waterproofing basketry and caulking sea-going canoes. The earliest identified bitumen in the Channel Islands so far is in deposits dated between 10,000-7,000 cal BP at Cave of the Chimneys on San Miguel island. The presence of bitumen increases during the Middle Holocene (7000-3500 cal BP and basketry impressions and clusters of tarred pebbles show up as early as 5,000 years ago. The fluorescence of bitumen may be associated with the invention of the plank canoe (tomol) in the late Holocene (3500-200 cal BP). Native Californians traded asphaltum in liquid form and hand-shaped pads wrapped in grass and rabbit skin to keep it from sticking together. Terrestrial seeps were believed to produce a better quality adhesive and caulking for the tomol canoe, while tarballs were considered inferior. Sources Argez C, Batta E, Mansilla J, Pijoan C, and Bosch P. 2011. The origin of black pigmentation in a sample of Mexican prehispanic human bones. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(11):2979-2988.Brown KM. 2016. Asphaltum (bitumen) production in everyday life on the California Channel Islands. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 41:74-87.Brown KM, Connan J, Poister NW, Vellanoweth RL, Zumberge J, and Engel MH. 2014. Sourcing archaeological asphaltum (bitumen) from the California Channel Islands to submarine seeps. Journal of Archaeological Science 43:66-76.Burger P, Stacey RJ, Bowden SA, Hacke M, and Parnell J. 2016. Identification, Geochemical Characterisation and Significance of Bitumen among the Grave Goods of the 7th Century Mound 1 Ship-Burial at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, UK). PLoS ONE 11(12):e0166276.Cà ¢rciumaru M, Ion R-M, Nitu E-C, and Stefanescu R. 2012. New evidence of adhesive as hafting material on Middle and Upper Palaeolithic artefacts from Gura Cheii-Rà ¢snov Cave (Romania ). Journal of Archaeological Science 39(7):1942-1950. Clark KA, Ikram S, and Evershed RP. 2016. The significance of petroleum bitumen in ancient Egyptian mummies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 374(2079).El Diasty WS, Mostafa AR, El Beialy SY, El Adl HA, and Edwards KJ. 2015. Organic geochemical characteristics of the Upper Cretaceous–Early Paleogene source rock and correlation with some Egyptian mummy bitumen and oil from the southern Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 8(11):9193-9204.Fauvelle M, Smith EM, Brown SH, and Des Lauriers MR. 2012. Asphaltum hafting and projectile point durability: an experimental comparison of three hafting methods. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(8):2802-2809.Jasim S, and Yousif E. 2014. Dibba: an ancient port on the Gulf of Oman in the early Roman era. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 25(1):50-79.Kostyukevich Y, Solovyov S, Kononikhin A, Popov I, and Nikolaev E. 2016. The investigation of the bitumen from anc ient Greek amphora using FT ICR MS, H/D exchange and novel spectrum reduction approach. Journal of Mass Spectrometry 51(6):430-436. Schwartz M, and Hollander D. 2016. The Uruk expansion as dynamic process: A reconstruction of Middle to Late Uruk exchange patterns from bulk stable isotope analyses of bitumen artifacts. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 7:884-899.Van de Velde T, De Vrieze M, Surmont P, Bodà © S, and Drechsler P. 2015. A geochemical study on the bitumen from Dosariyah (Saudi-Arabia): tracking Neolithic-period bitumen in the Persian Gulf. Journal of Archaeological Science 57:248-256.Wess JA, Olsen LD, and Haring Sweeney M. 2004. Asphalt (Bitumen). Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 59. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Thunder Heart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Thunder Heart - Essay Example Whose City†. The effects of social networking in urban environments for young adults, like the ones seen in the film, can have negative results attributed to them, especially in urban neighborhoods. As seen in the film, young adults would go out to neighborhood hangouts, like a bar or club, to meet people and dance. Such activities can be fun but also be misleading. As seen in the movie, the two young ladies, Maria and Blanca, went to a club just to dance and hangout. They happen to meet some guys who appear to be harmless and a friendship arises. As the friends begin to see each other more often they begin to learn more about one another. This is where misleading networking plays a role. One of the guys met at the bar happens to have associates within a drug ring and is tied to drug smuggling. Soon after, Maria and Blanca become smugglers for their new friends associates. Had the two girls not tried to network with others at the bar they might have evaded this ultimate outcome. Therefore, the n egative effect of social networking in these kinds environments is that people may seem to be one thing but are something quite different. In areas where drug trade is openly visible and common, like the setting in Columbia, social networking can be dangerous. This danger can also be associated in context with control of the urban cities. The danger associated to urban cities is the means of one’s sacrifices for survival. In deprived cities, like the one in the film, money is the most admired commodity. In areas where plantations and industries thrive, workers and laborers certainly do not share the profits attained by these businesses. Workers wages do not meet the bar for providing for their family and ones own personal needs therefore the danger of the drug trade looms. Drug distribution is highly recognized and sought after due to the large

Healthcare Organization Process Improvement Report Term Paper

Healthcare Organization Process Improvement Report - Term Paper Example Ontario Telemedicine Network is recognized as one of the major and largest telemedicine networks worldwide. Access to Medicare for hundreds of other health care locations and patients in the hospitals takes place through videoconferencing. Delivery of health care services, meetings, and education is greatly facilitated through the Ontario network for both professionals and patients (Tesson, 2009). The major aim of establishing a scorecard for this organization is to help it improve in the delivery of its services by realizing the weaknesses that exists within its structures and strategic plan. As a telemedicine organization, it is also necessary to examine its cost benefit effectiveness among other unnecessary interaction between patients and physicians; otherwise, such interactions that may be considered ineffective to be reduced. The internal process and systems is of great essence for establishing the weaknesses in the system that would require improvement. Process improvement in any health care organization is aimed at ensuring the efficiency of services offered. The telemedicine structure and system could be lagging behind in certain aspects of performances (Tesson, 2009). The use of a balanced scorecard targets a complete streamlining of the system in order to improve performance towards efficiency. Ontario Telemedicine Network has its services spread across the province, with almost 600 members. These include public hospitals, physician offices; Family Health Teams, medical and nursing schools, nursing stations, Community Care access Centers, professional organizations, LHIN offices, First Nations Communities, Public Health, clinics, educational facilities, and Long-term care homes. The top leadership of Ontario Telemedicine includes the Chief Executive officer, who is also a member of many boards of health care organizations

Essay --

Over one billion people do not have access to clean water and less than 10% of the world’s population receive a treated water supply. I find this intriguing; as well as being essential to preserving life, water contributes to our lifestyle in so many ways, from the generation of steam for industrial use and electricity generation to the foods we eat. Today chemical engineers face the challenge of ensuring water is purified as well as finding solutions to the wasting of this precious resource. I am particularly interested in the process of water purification from subsurface aquifers and surface sources, such as lakes and rivers, to produce portable drinking water. The reason that this sector has sparked a significant interest is because I come from Somalia, a country where clean water is so difficult to obtain. Chemical engineering consolidates maths and chemistry, which is one of the main reasons I was first attracted to studying it. Mathematics has helped me approach problems in an analytical and rigorous way, formulating theories and applying them to solve problems. I particularly...

Walking Down Memory Lane Park

Salina Vang Narrative Description-FFD Mr. Henshaw APELC 8 June 2011 Walking Down Memory Lane Park Whenever I think of Projects Park it brings back many memories because it was in the neighborhood where I spent my childhood years. Even though it was just for a small portion of my life, for one of the longest times it was the place where I had the best memories of courageous acts. Project Park was where I experienced the feeling of always being around others my age and it where I met the coolest people and made the best friendships, some of whom I am still friends with today.It was the place where at that point in time I lived my life to the fullest. Projects Park was located in isolation on its own block at the very end of the road. During the daytime children from all over the neighborhood came to play with their family and friends, me included. However when the sun went down night crept in turning the sky an ominous shade of antiquity and along with it, it brought creatures of the n ight to roam among the site. One evening upon entrance to the park I remembered the story someone once told me, â€Å"one could see the glare of two floating red eyes following those who meandered around the park at night. Rejecting the thought, but still a bit superstitious I entered the park anyways. As the sun went down it created an illusion as if the shadows were waking up from their dark crevices. I was standing at the foot of a shadow from a tall tree towering over me. The sun setting turned those tree-branches into arms grazing along the cement seeming as if they wanted to grab me. At the further end of the block a tall street lamppost lit up a dim fire dull enough just to see the path of the park. Night had come and it was so quiet my eardrums hurt and ever step I took sent chills down my body.As I approached the swings I noticed the echoes of my footsteps had just suddenly started lasting longer than they should have. I took another step with my left foot, stopped, and th en heard the brisk echo of another step after that. Looking down at my left foot, it was exactly where I had left it, somehow, the long echoed steps had not stopped, but were now storming towards me faster and louder than ever like a violent beating thunderstorm. Immediately, I turned around and in that instant, it stopped, a split second of dead silence. Something was definitely wrong.I felt like a hole had been punched right through me sending waves of fear down my back making my hair stand at their ends. My sudden instincts told me to approach the swings for comfort. However I remembered that I had caught seeing a swing move on its own accord before; as if someone was riding on its seat. The feeling of terror, noticeably aroused in my appearance by now, made me want to run for the wide open field. The open field was the highly vivid field of wherein games were held because of its noticeable boundaries of where the green grass ended and the sharp concrete cement began.Now after da rk, it seemed to lay awaiting and full of hunger for something to step onto its surface so it could suck them into its dark ruptured depths. It, during the daytime acted as a virtuous grass field wherein competition took its place. It was the place in the park where cries of victories could be heard and where one could also seek for rivalry. Suddenly just filled with thoughts of competition I was overcome with memories and had forgotten about the dark surrounding me. One of the games always played was Kick the Can.This game’s boundary took up the whole neighborhood allowing for a lot of space. It was one of my favorite games because there was always one person â€Å"it†. Their goal was to spot every other player and try to get them out, at the same time, guarding the base containing the can. However with one person on one team and everyone else on the rivalry team it created several disadvantages. Players on the team with more people crouched between slits in the earth and hid within the shadows waiting for that intense moment when their rival finally looked away.At last with the opportunity they jumped out of their hiding places running as fast as their legs could carry them for the chance to â€Å"kick the can. † It was the only way to free all of their teammates from jail. Moreover for me personally the best part was being the person hiding from the rival. I loved the feeling of running from the enemy, acting like I was a ninja hiding against walls, climbing up trees, and maneuvering my way behind fences to escape the chance of being caught.At the time, I thought it was the perfect space for me to roam around freely and still feel comfortable and safe because most of the people living in the neighborhood were friendly and didn’t mind the company. Unfortunately, there were those who disliked it and I did my best to avoid them. One again acknowledging my surroundings, I built up the courage to keep walking along the path as if ever ything was normal. I recalled the best of times shared here in this park with my friends, where we had our best of times playing, talking and sharing our amazing made up stories of us coming together to be a complete family.It was also the place where we all learned how to ride our first bike and to ride our first roller blades after falling on our hands and knees countless times but getting up repeatedly to try all over again. Now walking along the path I remember the time when one of my best childhood friends, Michael Cheng, the cute little boy who secretly held a crush on me, chased me along the path while I ran for my life from the despair of being hugged and at risk of being contaminated with â€Å"boy cooties†, and it made me laugh. Sadly I regret that I no longer keep in contact with Michael.If I could go back to the day he moved away, I wouldn’t even think twice about asking him for a contact number. With the feelings of fear, courage, and sadness all mixed wit hin me, I felt crossed. Then looking back at the path I had just walked and up towards the now barely visible tree that seemed to be taunting me before, I had one last thought before I left the park that night. Standing under the dim light post, I remembered Michael, the boy who I had been running so horridly from; it had happened that he was the first boy who I had ever received my first hug from.With that flashback, it gave my stomach the faint distinct feeling of rapture evanesce that left me with a bright hint of a smile on my face as I walked away from memory lane park. Today, even though I no longer live in the neighborhood of Projects Park, whenever I visit the place, there is still a part of me that can connect to the park, making it feel like home. I’m thankful that I still keep in contact with a couple friends from the neighborhood and usually, whenever we get together, we can still go on for hours telling each other about our lives of growing up together in the pro jects.Sadly, I don’t keep in contact with most of my friends from the hood any longer. We have been separated by hundreds and thousands of miles far and wide, but, there is one thing I know we all still have in common, the family connection we had within Projects Park that will never be forgotten. In fact, to me, it feels just like yesterday that I was little kid, out freely roller skating, carelessly chasing friends, and enjoying my life to its fullest.

A Guide to Caring for Bess Beetles

Bess beetles  are among the easiest arthropods to keep in captivity, and make excellent pets for young insect enthusiasts. As with any pet, its good to learn as much as you can about their habits and needs before you commit to keeping them. This guide to caring for bess beetles (also known as bessbugs)  should tell you everything you need to know about keeping them as pets. In North America, whether you purchase bess beetles from a supplier or collect your own, you will almost certainly be dealing with the species Odontotaenius disjunctis. The information provided here may not apply to other species, particularly tropical bess beetles. Things You Should Know Before Keeping Bess Beetles as Pets Although they are quite large and have powerful mandibles, bess beetles (family Passalidae) dont usually bite unless theyre being mishandled. They have thick, protective exoskeletons, and dont tend to cling to your fingers with their feet (like many scarab beetles do), so even small children can handle them with supervision. Bess beetles are easygoing, although they do squeak in protest when disturbed. Thats what makes them so much fun to keep as pets – they talk! Bess beetles often burrow and hide during the day. Flip on the light switch at night, however, and youll probably find your bess beetles perched on top of their log or exploring their terrarium. If youre looking for classroom pets that will be active during school hours, bess beetles might not be the best choice. They do, however, cooperate if you wake them from their naps for a science activity. If youre looking for low maintenance insects, you cant do better than bess beetles. They eat their own poop as part of their diet, so you dont have to clean out their habitat. The only thing they need from you is a piece of rotting wood and a regular misting of water. No need to chop vegetables or keep crickets to feed them. Bess beetles rarely reproduce in captivity, so you dont have to worry about a population explosion in your terrarium. The unlikeliness of breeding also means they arent a good choice for classroom life cycle studies. Housing Your Bess Beetles To keep 6-12 adult bess beetles, youll need a terrarium or aquarium that holds at least 2 gallons. An old 10-gallon aquarium works well, fitted with a mesh screen cover. Bess beetles wont scale the sides of the container like roaches or stick insects do, but you should still keep their habitat covered securely. Put 2-3 inches of organic soil or peat moss in the bottom of the habitat to give the bess beetles a place to burrow. Sphagnum moss will hold moisture and help keep the habitat at a comfortable humidity level for your bess beetles, but its not necessary as long as you mist them regularly.    Place the habitat in an area out of direct sunlight and dont put it too close to a heat source. Bess beetles do well at room temperature, and dont need special heaters or lights. In fact, they prefer a dark environment, so you can tuck them away in a corner of the room where there isnt much light. Caring for Your Bess Beetles Food: Bess beetles are decomposers of fallen trees, and feed on rotting wood. The North American species Odontotaenius disjunctis prefers oak, maple, and hickory wood, but will also feed on most other hardwoods. Find a fallen log that is already decomposed enough to break with your hands. Healthy bess beetles will break a log down in short order, so youll need a regular supply of rotting wood to feed them. You can also purchase rotting wood from most science supply companies that sell bess beetles, but whats better than taking a walk in the woods? If youre keeping bess beetles in the classroom, ask your students to collect wood and bring it to school to replenish the habitat. Water: Mist the habitat once per day, or as needed, to keep the substrate and wood moist (but not soaking wet). If youre using chlorinated tap water, youll need to dechlorinate it before misting the beetles. Just let the water sit for 48 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate before using it. Theres no need to purchase a dechlorinating agent. Maintenance: Bess beetles recycle their own waste (in other words, eat their own feces) to replenish the population of microorganisms in their digestive tracts regularly. These gut symbionts enable them to digest tough wood fibers. Cleaning their habitat would eliminate these important microorganisms, and possibly kill your bess beetles. So theres no need to do anything other than give your bess beetles enough wood and water to live. Other than that, leave them be, and they will do the rest. Where to Get Bess Beetles Many science supply companies sell live bess beetles via mail order, and thats probably your best bet to obtain some healthy specimens to keep as pets. You can usually get a dozen bess beetles for under $50, and in captivity, they can live up to 5 years. If you want to try collecting live bess beetles on your own, turn over rotting logs in hardwood forests. Keep in mind that bess beetles live in family units and both parents raise their young together, so there may be larvae living with the adults you find.