Editing Forensic entomology (section)

==Subfields==

===Urban===
Urban forensic entomology typically concerns pest infestations in buildings, gardens, or other urban environments, and may be the basis of litigation between private parties and service providers such as landlords or exterminators.<ref name="Catts">{{cite journal | vauthors = Catts EP, Goff ML | title = Forensic entomology in criminal investigations | journal = Annual Review of Entomology | volume = 37 | pages = 253–272 | date = January 1992 | pmid = 1539937 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.001345 | s2cid = 37652159 }}</ref> For instance, urban forensic entomology can be used to evaluate the efficiency of pest control techniques, ascertain the size of an infestation, and identify the responsible party in situations involving infestations in rental homes. Urban forensic entomology studies may also indicate the fitness of certain pesticide treatments. Urban forensic entomology can also assist in determining liability when stored goods, like grains or packaged foods, are contaminated with insects, helping to identify the infestation's origin. These techniques may be used in stored products cases where they can help to determine the chain of custody, when all points of possible infestation onset are examined to determine who is at fault.<ref>Bledsoe 2008, personal interview</ref> Moreover, environmental management and public health depend heavily on urban forensic entomology. Researchers can track the transmission of disease carried by insects by examining insect populations in urban settings. Forensic techniques can also guide conservation efforts by evaluating the environmental effects of urbanization on insect populations.

===Stored-product===
Stored-product forensic entomology is often used in litigation over insect infestation or contamination of commercially distributed foods, including grains, flour, and packaged meals.<ref name="Catts" /><ref name="Catts_1992">{{cite journal | vauthors = Catts EP, Goff ML | title = Forensic entomology in criminal investigations | journal = Annual Review of Entomology | volume = 37 | issue = 1 | pages = 253–272 | date = 1992 | pmid = 1539937 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.001345 }}</ref> Stored-product forensic entomologists may be asked to identify the bug species involved, evaluate the extent of an infestation, and pinpoint the infestation's source in a legal proceeding.<ref name="Taddese_2020">{{cite journal | vauthors = Taddese M, Dibaba K, Bayissa W, Hunde D, Mendesil E, Kassie M, Mutungi C, Tefera T |date=2020 |title=Assessment of quantitative and qualitative losses of stored grains due to insect infestation in Ethiopia. |journal=Journal of Stored Products Research |volume=86 |pages=101689|doi=10.1016/j.jspr.2020.101689 }}</ref> They might offer expert testimony about the circumstances that gave rise to the infestation and suggest safeguards to prevent similar risks in the future.

Forensic entomology on stored products both adds critical evidence to legal evaluation and contributes to overall food safety and quality assurance. Forensic entomologists work to guarantee that food products are safe for consumption by identifying insect species and tracking their presence in stored goods. Additionally, this sector contributes to the general enhancement of food business practices by researching and developing novel techniques for pest management and product preservation.<ref name="Taddese_2020" />{{Further|Home stored product entomology}}

===Medico-legal===
Medico-legal forensic entomology involves the study of arthropods found at the scene of various incidents such as murder, suicide, rape, physical abuse and contraband trafficking.<ref name="Catts" /> Forensic investigators can learn important details from insect activities, including the length of time passed since death, the presence of medication or toxins in the body, and the movement or disturbance of the body following death. In murder investigations, forensic entomologists analyze which [[insect]]'s eggs appear, their location on human remains, and their development stage to determine the PMI and the location of death. The presence of specific insect species, which may exhibit [[endemism]] (occurring only in certain places) or a well-defined [[phenology]] (active only at a certain season, or time of day), in association with other evidence can provide crucial links to times and locations where other criminal acts may have occurred.<ref name="pmid28785513">{{cite journal | vauthors = Charabidze D, Gosselin M, Hedouin V | title = Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality? | journal = PeerJ | volume = 5 | issue = | pages = e3506 | date = 2017 | pmid = 28785513 | pmc = 5543926 | doi = 10.7717/peerj.3506 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eggheadblog.ucdavis.edu/?p=502 |title=Insects help convict killer |access-date=1 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820070919/http://eggheadblog.ucdavis.edu/?p=502 |archive-date=20 August 2007}}</ref> This discipline provides techniques to associate a victim, suspect and scene together by identifying different insect species found in specific geographical locations.<ref>{{cite web  | vauthors = Byrd JH |date=2022-03-15 | veditors = Denton JS | publisher = medscape |title=Forensic Entomology: Overview, Historical Information, Trends in Forensic Entomology |url=https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1780557-overview}}</ref>

Another area covered by medico-legal forensic entomology is the relatively new field of [[entomotoxicology]]. This particular branch involves testing entomological specimens found at a scene for different drugs that may have possibly played a role in the death of the victim. The analytical perspective behind these methods relies upon the fact that the presence of drugs within the carcass specifically effects the growth and morphology of the insects ingesting those toxins from the corpse.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Salimi M, Rassi Y, Chatrabgoun O, Kamali A, Oshaghi MA, Shiri-Ghaleh V, Moradi M, Rafizadeh S, Akbarzadeh K, Parkhideh SZ | title = Toxicological Analysis of Insects on the Corpse: A Valuable Source of Information in Forensic Investigations | journal = Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases | volume = 12 | issue = 3 | pages = 219–231 | date = September 2018 | pmid = 30584545 | pmc = 6297721 }}</ref> Due to these alterations, the presence of drugs can potentially lead to an erroneous PMI when basing it on the abnormal physical development of insects who have fed on them.<ref name="Introna_2001">{{cite journal | vauthors = Introna F, Campobasso CP, Goff ML | title = Entomotoxicology | journal = Forensic Science International | volume = 120 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 42–47 | date = August 2001 | pmid = 11457608 | doi = 10.1016/S0379-0738(01)00418-2 }}</ref>

Entomology can aid in medico-legal cases when determining the time of an injury. One determining factor might be the observed species' preference of alimentation. When eggs laid on a corpse by blow flies subsequently hatch into first instar (first stage larvae), they require a liquid protein meal.<ref name="Haglund_2002" /> Due to their minute size and fragility blowflies are unable to break through human skin themselves to attain this nutrition. Therefore, the female typically oviposits near a pre-existing wound or natural orifice to provide accessible blood, a mucosal layer and body fluids for her offspring to eat.

=== Myiasis ===
Myiasis, the infestation of living vertebrate animals with dipteran larvae (ex: blowfly maggots), is a phenomenon that may be noted in cases of abandonment or neglect.<ref name="Haglund_2002" /> This condition occurs when flies colonize a living human or animal, feeding on the organism's accessible living tissues, ingesting food or bodily fluids.<ref name="Haglund_2002" /> In a forensic context, myasis can be confusing, as it may indicate the time of neglect or injury rather than PMI if the victim or remains were colonized when alive and prior to discovery. This highlights the importance of careful interpretation of all evidence in forensic investigation.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sukontason KL, Narongchai P, Sripakdee D, Boonchu N, Chaiwong T, Ngern-Klun R, Piangjai S, Sukontason K | title = First report of human myiasis caused by Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Thailand, and its implication in forensic entomology | journal = Journal of Medical Entomology | volume = 42 | issue = 4 | pages = 702–704 | date = July 2005 | pmid = 16119563 | doi = 10.1603/0022-2585(2005)042[0702:FROHMC]2.0.CO;2 | doi-broken-date = 2 December 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Haglund_2002">{{cite book| vauthors = Haglund WD, Sorg MH|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/46785103|title=Advances in forensic taphonomy : method, theory, and archaeological perspectives|date=2002|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=0-8493-1189-6|oclc=46785103}}</ref>