Professional creepy crawly lovers, also known as entomologists, are used to making people squirm when they reveal their job. But there's one branch of the field that tends to create more shudders than the rest. Forensic entomology is the study of insects to gather evidence for criminal and legal investigations. Why is there such an extreme reaction to their work? The bugs are generally found in decaying corpses. Their most useful purpose is to establish a time of death because the number, length and size of the larva reveals how long the body has provided bed and breakfast. Another thing insects can tell us is whether the deceased was moved, this is because some species will only be found in certain locations. Due to the speed with which they feast upon their food, tests on the bugs can also detect drug or alcohol intoxication when what remains of the human has become an unreliable source.
