Forensic Entomology

Forensic entomology is using insect biology to determine specific aspects of a crime. It can be used to determine time of death, whether or not a body has been moved, and also if the victim had been intoxicated with any substances. Insects are also prime examples of Locard's principle when solving a crime. The history of forensic entomology dates back to as early as the thirteenth century, and is still been developed today. There have been many cases involving forensic entomology to help solve the crime as evidence, usually about eighty-five percent of all reported species in decomposition are insects.() It has come to be an enormous aspect in forensic science use as evidence. The first aspect that insects are useful in solving a crime is determining time of death or postmortem intervals. Insects arrive on the body very soon after death. By determining their life cycles, and age it can help estimate time of death. There are four main types of carrion species that are found on a body: necrophagous, predators and parasites of the necrophagous, omnivourous insects, and hunting spiders. () The first group of necrophagous deals with insects that feed directly on the corpse. They usually depend on decaying remains as a food source, so they are very aggressive in their search for food. This is why they arrive at the dead remains only minutes after death. They include both flies and beetles. Flies are usually the first to arrive to the deceased body. The most common one is the blowfly, which is metallic green or blue. Their life cycle is what helps to determine how long a body has been decaying. Their life cycle is developed in six stages. The first stage is the adult fly, which locates the body to feed and reproduce. Second, the adult fly lays eggs in mucosa membranes, so the eggs are near a food source. These membranes include the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, any open wounds, and the genitals or anus if they are exposed. They usually are not attracted to