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64 Nebraskaland • December 2025 MIXED BAG Throughout history, insects have interacted with humans in several beneficial ways, including as pest predators, pollinators and even in pop culture. They can also play an important role in many legal proceedings in estimating time since death or postmortem interval, manner and location of death, and environmental factors related to human or other animal victims found at a death scene. The life stages of insects, such as blow flies or carrion beetles, found on a corpse can give clues about how long the person has been dead and help build a timeline of the crime. Insects may also provide clues about other aspects associated with an investigation (i.e., fly specks, suspect DNA). The study of how insects and related arthropods can aid in legal investigations is known as forensic entomology. The use of insects in homicide or other death investigations comprises a category of forensic entomology known as medicocriminal entomology. This is what many people are most familiar with (often from watching shows like CSI) and likely imagine when they hear "forensic entomology." However, this area can also include missing person cases, abuse or neglect cases (e.g., maggot infestations of wounds in nursing home patients), sudden death cases, traffic accidents with no immediate cause (e.g., a wasp released into a car before the victim drove it), and the criminal misuse of insects, such as in biological warfare. In addition, forensic entomology can also apply to civil investigations, such as urban or stored product entomology. In urban entomology, a forensic entomologist might get involved in civil lawsuits involving structural or other pest insects. Examples might include termites or carpenter ants affecting the value of real estate, stable flies breeding in feedlots and biting livestock, or maggot infestations in mortuaries. In stored product entomology, a forensic entomologist may be called in to investigate disputes over insect or insect parts found in food or food products like cereal or flour. Examples of this often include claims that insects found in food products resulted in a person's illness, resulting in lawsuits against the food production company. This area may also apply to complaints of insects found in canned or frozen goods, maggots or other insects discovered in restaurant fare, or insects planted fraudulently. Overall, forensic entomology encompasses many diverse areas where insects and the law intersect in both civil and criminal cases. WHERE INSECTS MEET THE LAW By Erin Bauer, Entomology Lecturer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Insects such as carrion beetles lay their eggs on dead organisms to rear their young, therefore contributing to the decomposition process. Development of insect larvae can help estimate time since death in homicide cases. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND A look at forensic entomology