by Bill Georato

Created on: May 24, 2010

SO YOU WANNA BE A FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST

There’s been a murder. The body is lying there in the field, covered with dirt and bugs. It’s been there a day—or maybe a week. That’s where you come in. You are a forensic entomologist.

What is a forensic entomologist? Let’s break that term down. Forensics is the act of applying scientific principles and methods to the purpose of solving crimes. An entomologist is a scientist who studies bugs and insects. So, your job is to help solve crimes by studying the bugs and insects found at the crime scene.  To take an example from television, the “

Bones” character Dr. Jack Hodgins, played by TJ Thyne, often excitedly uses insects in his work. In this role, he is a forensic entomologist.

TYPES OF FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY

There are generally three types of forensic entomology. The medicolegal group is concerned with studying bugs found on remains for the purposes of crime solving. This is what Dr Hodgins does. 

Urban forensic entomology is concerned with the insects that interact with man and man’s environment. This group has both criminal and civil concerns because insects can cause damage which may be confused with prior wounds. The investigator may also become involved in civil cases involving monetary damages.

The final division is stored product. Here, the investigator may be called as an expert witness in cases involved with food contamination or poisonings.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Song Ci is generally considered to be the first forensic entomologist. Of course, back in 1247 AD, when he did his work, that term didn’t exist, but he was the first to literally write the book on the subject. His book, Washing Away Of Wrongs, is a series of case studies in which he lays out the techniques he used in solving several crimes. In some form, these techniques are still used today.

A few hundred years later, Jean Pierre Mégnin wrote his own books on the subject. He discovered how to determine time of death by figuring out how many generations of mites are found on the body, approximately one generation every 15 days. He also determined that exposed corpses go through 8 waves of insects, and buried corpses are exposed to only two waves.  

EDUCATION

Most forensic entomologists start with a Master’s or Doctorates in entomology, biology, zoology, or ecology. Once this is done, they can then become certified by the American Board of Forensic Entomology (ABFE) if they

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