Forensic Entomology Forensic Entomology Name Class Date Professor Forensic Entomology Forensic entomology is the study of bugs in the criminal justice field in order to determine the post mortem interval (PMI). The post mortem interval refers to the time between a person dies and the body of the deceased is located. In criminal cases understanding when a person died can point to suspect or causes suspects in the case to be discarded. When a person dies bugs will be immediately be attracted to the decaying body. There are many factors that can affect the rate of decomposition affecting the PMI. The lifespan of these bugs as well as their activity provides reliable information on time of death. The blowfly is an important insect for determining the post mortem interval. The lifecycle of the blowfly located in the decomposing body can point to how long the person has been dead. Once a person dies blow flies will immediately begin to feed of the body and lay their eggs in moist areas where their eggs will thrive. The blow fly will lay up to 250 eggs in the moist opening. The eggs will look like little small white sausages that are all laid together in clumps. These eggs will hatch within twenty four hours after being laid by the blow fly. Once the blowfly hatches it becomes larvae. After hatching, the larvae will undergo three stages of development, lasting a combined total of 7 to 10 days (Smith, 2011).The newly hatched larvae (maggots) are in the first stage. The maggots become longer and more elongated shaped. The maggot has small hooks by the mouth that help them move or to latch on the corpse and feed. These shape and size of hooks will help determine the type of fly. Theses maggots will feed until they become second stage maggots. A part of this process is to leave the moist area on the decaying body finding a dryer place in which to turn to pupae. This is the third stage of the maggot. The pupae are different from the other maggot forms because a harder outer shell develops. During this process the actual insect takes form within the pupae developing legs and wings. This fly is completely white until the pupae splits revealing the blow fly. When looking for pupae many are found around the body and not directly on the body due to the fact they need a dry place in which to mature. The temperature and moisture can affect the length of each stage of the blowfly development. The number of eggs laid by blowflies can result in large masses of maggots in the body which in turn can affect the body temperature of the body. When determining time of death the temperature of the body plays an important role if the death is relatively soon before locating the body. Masses of third-stage maggots may produce heat, which can raise the temperature around them more than 10° C. (Smith, 2011). Overtime the pupae will open and a full grown blow fly will emerge from the shell. Determining the time of death is more precise if the.