Bugs! FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY

Entomology Vocabulary Pupa/pupal stage – non-feeding life stage where they are transforming from larvae to adult Nymph – a juvenile form; a step up from larva, but a step below adult; many nymph forms resemble adult forms Adult – life stage when the bug can reproduce Larva – the immature form of the insect Larvae – plural form

Omnivorous insects such as ants and wasps that may feed on the body itself, other insects, or surrounding vegetation Indigenous insects, and/or spiders, may be present, but their presence is usually coincidental to the location of the body

The timeframe for lifecycle development is influenced by environmental conditions such as Climate Weather Geographical location Drugs or toxins present in the body

What is it? The study and use of insects to solve criminal & civil investigations 3 general categories: Medicolegal Urban Pest Stored Product Pests

Medicolegal Generally deals with the necrophagous (carrion) feeding insects Study what insects lays eggs when & where Looks at the order of succession in the dead body Faunal Succession Examples: blow flies & beetles

Life Cycle of a Blow Fly

Faunal Succession Flies (order: diptera) are generally first because they like the moist corpse for the maggot to feed on Next up are the beetles (order: coleoptera), they like the area little bit more dry than most flies Mites, Moths, Wasps, Ants & Bees Different species show up at different times and may indicate different things Example: Certain types of beetles carry a species of mite that eats fly larvae; if the beetle gets to the body first, any fly larvae that hatch will be eaten by the mites, possibly giving a wrong PMI (post mortem interval) otherwise known as Time of Death

Generally deals with insects that affect Man and his immediate environment Insects can feed off the living or the dead Urban pests are a huge economic concern, so entomologists may get involved in cases dealing with monetary damages The bugs normally found in foodstuffs Examples: Ants, beetles, roaches Urban PestsStored Product Pests