oLLECTION AND PRESERAION )F SAMPILES OF INSI:("IS

1.Collection of insects from the body ul the seen

1hefirst insects that should be collected are the adult
flies ad beetles.
oving and can leave the crime sceme rapidly once disturbed The aulull lies be
1rappwd can

vith an insect net available from biological supply houses, They r e inwxensi ve a l
most

'adib nlhtainable. Once the adult fltes have heen wited, the closed end of the net (wlh the
msects inside) can be placed in the mouth of a "killing jar" (which is a gluss container with
ftonballs or
plaster soaked with ethy! acetate, or common
fingernail polish remover). The Jur
s then capped and he insects will be immobilized within a few minutes. Once they are im mobile
they can be easily transferred to a vial of 75% ethyl alcohol. Beetles can he collecte d with
rceps or glovedfingers and placed directly into 75% ethyl alcohol.

fan
i s extremely important that the collected specimens are properly labeled. Labels sho uld he
nade with a dark graphite pencil, NOT IN INK. The label should be
placed in the alcohol along
with the specimens, and alcohol can dissohve the ink from the paper! However, pencil s not
affected by alcohol and should be used for labeling purposes. The collection lahel vhoutd
contain the following
information:
I). Geographical Location 2). Date and hour of collection 3). Case number 4). Location on the
body where removed 5). Name
of collector
(Once the adults have heen collected the collection of larval
First the investigator.should
specimens from the body can Cegin.
searchfor the presence of eggs, which are easily overlooked Afer
this step,
the larvae should be readily apparent on the body_ Generally
larvae should he actively
_speaking, the fargest
searchedfor and collected. Additionally, a representative sumaple of
50-60 larvae should be collected
from the maggot can bemass. These insects
into placed direcil,
killing solution or ethyl alcohol. However.the specimens are better
a

preserved if they r e
placed in boiling water for aboul 30 seconds.
Obtaining boiling water at a scene is diffic auli, s»
hoiling of the larvae upon returning to the proper
facility is satisfactory. f the larvae are oiled

Prepared by Pradip Hirapure, institute

of forensic science, Nugpur P 16
 albwnl 48 honrs of mlal fIesT\1lio1 esult
I l uul spueinn slnnill
oe thal some Jorensic enlomoloNIs efer ol to uuve te sumitled Irva bul'el 1PTETO"

the investigator should diseuss reservatin techiques with their cnnraluy; entoneDy
any case the exact preservation techiques should be documented ml foruandeed to te r e ns
entomologist. lf the body has more than one area of colonizution tmore than one mugzot mauSs)

each site should be treated separately

Once the preserved collections have been made, duplicate samples should he made Jor ve
shipment. Living specimens can be placed in specimen containers or Styrofoam cups with jghi

futing lids along with some moist paper toweling, or most preferably a Jood substrate suc h (as
beef liver or pork meat. Tiny air holes should be poked in the lid using an ic: pick or sirilar

instrument. This cup should be placed into a slightly larger container that has about /2 inch of
soil or vermiculite in the bottom to absorb any liquids that may accumulate and leak. This entire
conainer should be enclosed in an
appropriate shipping container and shipped overnight to a
Jorensic entomologist.|

B.Collection of insects from scene affer body removal

Many of the insects that inhabit a corpse will remain on, or buried, in the
ground after the body
has been removed. The steps listed above should be
followed when collecting insects from1 the
soil (i.e. both a preserved and a living sample should be
taken). Soil and littef samples saould1
also be taken both immediately
under where
the was body positioned,
and from the imme
eliate
vLurroundings. Il is not necessary to dig deeply. A good technique is to collect ihe leaf litter and
debris down to the exposed upper surface of the soil, and then make a
separate collection from
about the first two or three inches of topsoil. Fuch soil collection area should be abous 4-6
inches square, and be taken from underneath the
head, torso and extremities. All soil sarz1ples
should be placed in a cardboard container for immediate to a shipment forensic entomologist
These collections should be labeled and
Jorvarded to the jorensic entomologist along witJi thhe
insects collected fromn the
body

Prepared by Pradip lirapure, institute of forensic science, Nugpur Pag 17

Fntmologieul coll tion rYuipmn

P'rrconfiured lorensie Entomuology Kts arr commereadly availubl HoneT, he to hulyrt

onslrainls some policr departments nable
are lo purcuse ready-mmnle cvllretun kts and are
orced seck a low cost alterative. i s puossihle to confiyure yonr own colleetion kit, and muost
f the necessary ilems he
can purchased at diseount storex A list of nerssary items has heen
ompiled fo assist in the compilaion of your own enllectim kin The more "hard--find"

specialty items such as inseet nets and vials are discued behow

Nets:

Aerial insect neis are an essentialcomponent ofa forensic entomologycollectionkit. The ost

opular and economical net has an 18" wood hamdle and sturdy 12" diameter galvanized steel
ring. The net should be constructed from polyester and have a reinforcing muslin ring hand

These nets can be purchased from most biological and forestry supply companies.

Vials:
biological suPply house. "Screw-cap" vpes
Collection vials can be purchased from about uny
This vial is suitahle fer
and the typical size is a foil insert in the lid.
4 dram vial with a
are best, However, this
collections and is commonly used by
law enforcement officials.
most crime scene
the preservation luid
or archival storage of specimens since
vial is not suitable for
long-term
maintenance is required.
will evaporate at a slow rate and periodic
a
available contairaing
vials are
museum purposes),
archival o r
Por long term storage (for to egligible
levels and periodie
eaporation
which reduces
neoprene cone insert in the lid,
maintenance is nol required a s often.

Forceps:

Par1
science, Nagpur
by Pradip Hirapure, institute of forensic
Prepared
 hl

sioek (a WIhe electim of specialtyforceun

hunmr's rommoly
Bivlogical and foresty upply

Colleeton Containers

ncenes Jor entomological

evidence, living larva 1

MUst
As purt of the roper
procrsuny of erime
reuring purposes These larvae must
to the forensie entomologist for
he collected and shipped Iheir survival
The best melhod for ensuring
is tn

food ourre during shipment.

br kept on a
This container should be ridged in
construcl a container o house them during shipment.
also be large enough to
contain a foil pouch
construction and have a tighu fiuing lid. N must
approximatel S0-60 larvue
sized piece of heef or chicken liver and
holding with a palm
and shipping are plastic
Recommended containers to temporarily house the larvae Jor transporl
and tackle shops). and
at most fishing bait
1602. Cups However, bait conainers (available
else
also used and will suffice ifnothing
is
restaurants are
drink cups (with lids) from fas1 food
not suitable for housing beetle
Styrofoum cups can also be used, but they ure
available
rve

BY USING INSECT
ESTIMATING TIME OF DEATH
insects are atracted to the
the initial decay, and the body begins to smell, different types of
Afier
is the Diptera, in particular the blow flies
or

dead hody. The insects that usually arrives first

Calliphoridue andthe flesh /lies Sarcophagidae.

or

around he natural orifices such as the

will lay their eggs on the body, especialy
The females
the boy has wounds the eggs are also laid in such
eurs, anus, penis unl vugimu. /
nose, eyes,
larvae instead
esh flies do not lay eggs, but deposits
the egg hatches into small larvae. This larva
lives
short time, depending on species,
Afer some

Afier u inile time the larva molts, and reaches the second
On the dead tissue nd grows Jast.

Pa1
Prepared by Pradiy Ilirapure,
institute of forensic science, Nagpur
 then mols into a put, hut ke«ps the thined hwvad innans shin wnh hwvsmr's o s

puparium 7ypicall takes heween o mml wos wowkn i

it week frm tlu ryy r gu
T he exact time depends on the speces and the temperaturu m TuIngs

he heory behind
estimating time of death, or rather the pust mortem mter val (1'MI for shur
W2h the
help of insects are very simple: since insects arrive the houly deun,
on son after
estimating the age of the insects will also lead to an estimation of the time of
death.

Determination of Body displacement/movement ufier death

After death, a succession of fungi, bacteria
and animals will colonize the dead hody The
substrate on which the body is lying will also change over time. Leakage of fluids from the dead
body will lead to the
disappearance of certain insects, and other insects will increase as the time
goes. A forensic entomologist can then look for how
long the body has been there by look ing at
the fauna at the body, and also
estimate the time the body has been lying there by sampling sail
insectsunderneath the dead body. If thre is a difference in the estimates, and the analysis of the
soil suggests a short PMI, and the analysis of the body fauna suggests a
longer PMI. o r r can
suspect that the body has been moved. One can also see that a body has been lying ata

particular place long time afier the body has been removed both by botanical means, and by
analysis of the soilfauna..
Some times dead bodies are found in concealed environments, where blowflies have no access. f
there are blowflies, means that it the
body has been moved there. Some Calliphorid.s are
heliophilic, that is, they prejer to lay their eggs on warm surfaces, which means that they usually
occur where the bodies lies n
sunny places. Other blowflies prefer shade. For example, Lz«cilia
Species prefer sunlight, ana Calliphora prejer more shady conditions. Some species ue
svnanthropic and occurs In urban a r e s , O2er species are not synarnthropic and occurs in rutl

instutulr of Jorensie science, Naypur Pag

Prepared by Prudip Hirapure,