OSAC 2022-N-0039 Collecting and Preserving 

Entomological Evidence from a Terrestrial Environment

1

OSAC 2022-N-0039

Collecting and Preserving 

Entomological Evidence 

from a Terrestrial 

Environment

Crime Scene Investigation & Reconstruction Subcommittee

Scene Examination Scientific Area Committee

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science
OSAC 2022-N-0039 Collecting and Preserving 

Entomological Evidence from a Terrestrial Environment

2

Draft OSAC Proposed Standard 

OSAC 2022-N-0039 

Collecting and Preserving 

Entomological Evidence from a 

Terrestrial Environment

Prepared by 

Crime	Scene	Investigation	&	Reconstruction	Subcommittee

Forensic	Entomology	Task	Group

Version:	1.0

September	2022

Disclaimer:

This OSAC Proposed Standard was written by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for 

Forensic Science following a process that includes an open comment period. This Proposed Standard will 

be submitted to a standards developing organization and is subject to change.

There may be references in an OSAC Proposed Standard to other publications under development by 

OSAC. The information in the Proposed Standard, and underlying concepts and methodologies, may be 

used by the forensic-science community before the completion of such companion publications.

Any identification of commercial equipment, instruments, or materials in the Proposed Standard is not a 

recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Government and does not imply that the equipment, 

instruments, or materials are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
OSAC 2022-N-0039 Collecting and Preserving 

Entomological Evidence from a Terrestrial Environment

3

1 Foreword

2 This	 document	 was	 developed to	 provide best	 practices	 for	 collecting	 and	 preserving	

3 entomological	evidence	from	terrestrial	scenes.	Entomological	evidence	may	be	collected	by	

4 either	 a	 properly	 trained	 entomologist,	 medicolegal	 death	 investigator,	 crime	 scene	

5 investigator,	 or	 law	 enforcement	 officer.	 This	 document	 is	 intended	 to	 assist	 individuals	

6 engaging	in	collecting	and	preserving	entomological	evidence	from	a	scene	or	victim.	Portions	

7 of	this	document	are	adapted	from	Sanford	et	al.	(2019).	Appreciation	is	expressed	to	Taylor	

8 and	Francis	Publishing	for	allowing	the	use	of	these	materials	in	this	document.

9

10 This	 document	 has	 been	 drafted	 by	 the	 Crime	 Scene	 Investigation	 and	 Reconstruction	

11 Subcommittee	of	the	Organization	of	Scientific	Area	Committees	(OSAC)	for	Forensic	Science	

12 through	a	consensus	process.

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25

26

27 Keywords:	 forensic	entomology,	insect	evidence	collecting,	evidence	preservation
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28 Table	of	Contents

29

30 1.	Scope

31 2.	Normative	References

32 3.	Terms	and	Definitions

33 4.	Recommendations

34 4.1			General	Considerations

35 4.2			Documentation	of	Evidence

36 4.3			Temperature	Data

37 4.4			 Specimen	Collection

38 4.5			Preservation

39 Annex	A Suggested	Equipment	and	Supplies	List

40 Annex	B	Life	Cycle	of	Blow	Fly

41 Annex	C	(informative)	Bibliography

42

43
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44 1.	Scope

45 Arthropods	typically	colonize	vertebrates	(i.e.,	humans,	pets,	or	other	animals)	while	alive	

46 or	soon	after	death.	A	common	objective	of	forensic	entomology	is	to	estimate	the	time	of	

47 insect	 colonization.	 Information	 determined	 from	 an	 assessment	 of	 forensic	 entomology	

48 evidence	 could	 generate	 investigative	 leads	 in	 cases	 involving	 death,	 abuse,	 neglect,	 or	

49 contamination	where	insects	have	colonized	 or	become	associated	with	humans	 or	 other	

50 vertebrates.

51 This	 document	 provides	 best	 practice	 recommendations	 for	 collecting	 and	 preserving	

52 entomological	evidence	within	the	course	of	an	investigation.		

53

54 2.	Normative	References

55

56 Amendt,	 J.,	et	al.	"Best	 practice	in	 forensic	entomology-standards	and	guidelines." Int.	J.	

57 Legal	Med.,	vol.	121,	no.	2,	2007,	pp.	90-104.

58

59 Amendt,	 J,	 et	 al.	"Forensic	 entomology:	 Applications	 and	 limitations.	 Forensic	 Science."

60 Medicine	and	Pathology,	Vol.	7,	2011,	pp.	379-392.

61

62 Byrd,	 J.H.,	 and	 J.K.	 Tomberlin. Forensic	 Entomology:	 The	 Utility	 of	 Arthropods	 in	 Legal	

Investigations,	3rd 63 edition.	Boca	Raton,	CRC	Press, 2019.

64

65 Haskell,	N.H.,	and	R.E.	Williams. Entomology	&	Death:	A	Procedural	Guide.	Clemson,	Joyce's	

66 Print	Shop,	Inc.,	2008.

67

68 Sanford,	Michelle	R.,	et	al.	"Entomological	Evidence	Collections	Methods:	American	Board	

69 of	 Forensic	 Entomology	 Approved	 Protocols."	 Forensic	 Entomology: The	 Utility	 of	

70 Arthropods	in	Legal	Investigations,	edited	by	Jason	Byrd	and	Jeffrey	Tomberlin.	CRC	Press,	

71 2019.	63-85.

72

73 Organization	 of	 Scientific	 Area	 Committees	 (OSAC)	 for	 Forensic	 Science,	 Scene	

74 Investigation	Subcommittee.	OSAC	2021-N-0015.	Guiding	Principles	for	Scene	Investigation	

75 and	Reconstruction	[OSAC	Proposed	Standard],	March	2020.	

76

77 Organization	 of	 Scientific	 Area	 Committees	 (OSAC)	 for	 Forensic	 Science,	 Scene	

78 Investigation	 Subcommittee.	 OSAC	 2021-N-0018.	 Standard	 for	 On-Scene	 Collection	 and	

79 Preservation	of	Physical	Evidence [OSAC	Proposed	Standard],	March	2021.

80

81 Organization	of	Scientific	Area	Committee	(OSAC)	for	Video/Imaging	Technology	(VITAL)	

82 Subcommittee.	 OSAC	 2021-S-0013.	 Standard	 Guide	 for	 Post	 Mortem	 Examination	

83 Photography [OSAC	Proposed	Standard],	March	2022.

84

85 3.	Terms	and	Definitions

86 For	the	purposes	of	this	document,	the	following	definitions	and	acronyms	apply.
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87

88

89 3.1 exuvium	(plural:	exuvia)

90 The	cast	skin	of	immature	insects	as	they	complete	immature	stages	(Nichols	1989).	

91

92 3.2 larva	(plural:	larvae)

93 An	immature	stage	of	an	insect	(Nichols	1989)	that	undergoes	complete	metamorphosis.

94

95 3.3 minimum	postmortem	interval	(minPMI)

96 The	minimum	estimated	amount	of	time	that	has	elapsed	since	death,	i.e.,	death	could	have	

97 been	earlier.	

98

99 3.4 myiasis

100 The	colonization	or	infestation	of	healthy	or	decaying	tissues	of	living	humans,	pets,	or	other	

101 animals by	fly	(Diptera)	immatures	(eggs,	larvae)	(Amendt	et	al.,	2011).

102

103 3.5 nymph

104 An	immature	stage	of	an	insect	with	incomplete	metamorphosis	(Nichols	1989).

105

106 3.6 postmortem	interval	(PMI)

107 The	time	between	death	and	discovery	of	the	decedent	or	remains;	also	known	as	time	since	

108 death	(OSAC	Lexicon).	

109

110 3.7 pupa	(plural:	pupae)	

111 The	 insect	 life	 stage	 during	 which	 complete	 metamorphosis	 from	 larva	 to	 adult	 occurs	

112 (Nichols	1989).

113

114 3.8 puparium	(plural:	puparia)

115 The	sclerotized	exuvium	of	the	third	instar	of	higher	Diptera	in	which	the	pupa	is	 formed	

116 (Nichols	1989).

117

118 3.9	scene

119 A	place	or	object	that	is	subject	to	and/or	requires	forensic	examination	(ISO/FDIS	21043-

120 1:2018[E]).

121

122 NOTE	A	crime	scene	is	a	common	description	of	a	scene	where	a	presumed	crime	has	been	

123 committed.	The	scene	can	be	a	person	or	an	animal.

124

125 3.10	time	of	colonization	(TOC)

126 The	time	when	insect	offspring	(i.e.,	eggs	or	larvae)	were	deposited	on	a	human,	pet,	or	other	

127 animal	(Amendt	et	al.,	2011)	or	other	decomposing	organic	matter	(e.g.,	food,	feces).

128

129 4.	Recommendations
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130 For	the	purposes	of	this	document,	the	following	information	serves	as	a	guide	for	a	properly	

131 trained	entomologist,	medicolegal	death	investigator,	scene	investigator,	or	law	enforcement	

132 officer	encountering	entomological	evidence	associated	with	an	investigation.	Sanford	et	al.	

133 (2019)	 serve	 as	 the	 foundation	 for the	 methods	 described	 below	 for	 collecting	 and	

134 preserving	 entomological	 evidence.	 These	 methods should	 be	 integrated	 with	 the	 OSAC

135 Proposed	 Standard Guiding	 Principles	 for	 Scene	 Investigation	 and	 Reconstruction (OSAC	

136 2021-N-0015),.

137

138 4.1General	Considerations

139 If	responding	scene	investigators	do	not	have	adequate	training	in	the	collection	of	forensic	

140 entomological	samples,	a	certified	forensic	entomologist	should be	contacted	for	additional	

141 guidance. Should	a	forensic	entomologist	be	unable	to	be	contacted,	the	recommendations	

142 in	 this	 document	 should	 be	 adhered	to,	to	 ensure	 proper	 collection	 and	 preservation	 of	

143 entomological	evidence. Annex	A	 provides	a	list	 of	 suggested	 collection	and	 preservation	

144 materials	that	should	be	utilized	on	scene	and	compiled	prior to	a	scene	response	involving	

145 entomological	evidence.

146

147 4.2	Documentation

148

149 4.2.1 In	addition	to	the	general	scene	photography	standards	and	recommendations	of	the	

150 OSAC	 VITAL	 subcommittee (OSAC	 2021-S-0013),	 photographs	 specific	 to	

151 entomological	evidence	should	be	taken of	the	following,	with	and	without	a	scale:

152

153 a) if	present,	the	body	in	situ	

154 b) the	scene	after	the	removal	of	the	body

155 c) close-up	images	of	the	body	and	wounds

156 d) insects	on	and	off	the	body

157

158 4.2.2 In	addition	 to	 the	documentation	standards	and	recommendations	provided	in	 the	

159 documentation	standards and	recommendations	of	the	OSAC Forensic	Science,	Scene	

160 Investigation	Subcommittee	(OSAC	2021-N-15,	OSAC	2021-N-0018),	notes	specific	to	

161 entomological	evidence	should	be	taken,	including:

162

163 a) body	diagrams	to	indicate	locations	of	insect	colonization

164 b) the	 environmental	 conditions	 of	 the	 scene	 (e.g.,	 in	 sun	 or	 shade,	 indoor	 or	

165 outdoor),	 including	 changes	 made	 to	 the	 environment	 after	 the	 discovery	 of	

166 remains	(e.g.,	the	opening	of	windows,	changing	of	thermostat	settings,	etc.).

167 c) time/date	the	body	was	discovered

168 d) any	 times	 and	 details	 relating	 to	 specimen	 collection	 and	 further	 actions	 to	

169 preserve	or	kill	specimen(s)

170 e) if	specimens	are	collected	at	autopsy,	the	time	the	body is placed	in	refrigeration,	

171 the	time	removed	for	autopsy, and	the	temperature	of	both	refrigeration	unit	and	

172 morgue	rooms	should	be	recorded

173 f) where	possible,	provide:
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174 1) hourly	air	temperature	at	the	scene	using	calibrated	temperature	data	loggers	

175 (Hofer	et	al.,	2020).

176 2) dependent upon	scene/circumstances:

177 i) body	surface	temperature

178 ii) maggot	mass	temperature(s)	(if	present)

179 iii) when	specimens	are	collected	 from	 the	soil,	 take	 the	 temperature	of	 the	

180 soil	(i.e.,	site)

181

182 4.3 Specimen	Collection	and	Preservation	(based	on	Sanford	et	al.	2019)

183

184 4.3.1 Collecting	Specimens

185 Representative	specimens	of	all	life	stages	(Annex	B)	present	at	a	suspected	crime	

186 scene	should	be	collected	if	possible (Haskell	and	Williams	2008).	A	representative	

187 sample	 includes	 some	 (< 50 individuals)	 of	 the	 largest	 and	 smallest	 specimens	

188 present, as well	as	specimens	from	visually	different	insect	species and	from	different	

189 sites	 of	 infestation	 or	 off-body	 scene	 locations.	 Each	 sample	 should	 be	 collected	

190 separately	and	placed	in	appropriate	 vials	with	labels.	 Include	date,	 time,	location,	

191 and	collector, as	well	as	case and	exhibit	number.	Most	immature	insects	(i.e.,	eggs,	

192 larvae/nymphs,	pupae)	can	be	collected	using	forceps	or	gloved	fingers.	For	collecting	

193 adults,	a	sweep	net	or	sticky	 trap	can	be	used.	Sticky	 traps	can	be	placed	near	 the	

194 victim.	Once	 the	scene	has	been	processed,	 the	 trap	can	be	labeled,	inverted	into	a	

195 cylinder	with	the	sticky	side	on	the	inside ensuring	not	to	overlap	the	sticky	portion,

196 and	placed	in	a	sealable	plastic bag.	Avoid	crushing	the	cylinder	as	it	will	prevent	the	

197 removal	and	identification	of	the	flies	collected.

198

199 a) Appropriate life	 stages	 (Annex	 B)	 should	 be	 collected	 from	 on	 and	 around	 the	

200 body,	bearing	in	mind	that:

201 1) certain	stages	might	not	be	present

202 2) early	stages	can	be	very	small

203 3) later	stages	(mature	larvae,	puparia)	can	be	dispersed	several	meters	around	

204 the	body	and,	depending	on	 the	environment, may	have	burrowed	into	soil,	

205 under	carpets, and	so	forth

206 4) specimens	 can	 vary	 in	 size	 and	 appearance:	 Examples	 of	 the	 following	 are	

207 presented	in	Annex	B:

208 i) eggs

209 ii) larvae

210 iii) pupae	or	puparia

211 iv) adults

212 v) empty	puparia	and	larval	skins	(exuvia)	

213

214 b) For	larval	samples,	collect	specimens	representing	a	full	range	of	sizes	(Amendt	

215 et	al.	2007).
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216 c) All	samples	to	be	preserved	should	be	preserved	ideally	at	the	scene	(described	

217 below).

218 d) Comparable	 samples	 should	 be	 collected	 for	 rearing	 (see	 Standard	 on	 Rearing	

219 Insects	XXX).

220 e) Use	tandem	labeling	(i.e.,	place	a	label	in	the	container	- using	a	pencil	or	alcohol221 resistant	archival	ink	- and	a	duplicate	label	on	the	outside of	the	container);

222 f) Labels	 should	 include	 case	 number,	 exhibit	 number,	 collector	 name,	 time	 and	

223 date,	geographical	location,	site	of	the	collection	- on	or	around	the	victim,	ethanol	

224 concentration	for	relevant	samples;		

225 g) For	preserved	samples	collected,

226 1) To	 prevent	 sample	 decomposition	 in	 the	 early	 stages	 of	 preservation,	 the	

227 sample	should	be	killed	by	immersion	in	hot	water	(at	least	80°C	/	176°F)	for	

228 at	least	30	seconds.	Ideally,	a	thermos	of	hot	water	should	be	brought	to	the	

229 scene.	Alternatively,	a	car-powered	immersion	heater	should be	used	to	boil	

230 water	at	the	scene.	If	this	is	not	possible,	live	specimens	should be	transported	

231 back	to	the	lab	to	be	hot	water processed.	However,	the	sooner	the	insects	are	

232 preserved, the	 better	 as	 this	 'stops	 the	 biological	 clock' and	 subsequent	

233 identification	 of	life stages	and	calculation	 of	TOC	will	depend	 on	 this	 time.	

234 Once	hot water	killed,	the	insects	should be	strained	using	a	tea	strainer	and	

235 then	 transferred	 to	 a	 container	 with	 70%+	 ethanol	 (see	 Adams	 and	 Hall,	

236 2003).	However,	if	resources	are	unavailable	for	a	hot	water kill,	the	sample	

237 should be	placed	alive	directly	into	the	preservative,	but	this	should	be	noted.

238 2) For	samples	collected	for	DNA	analysis,	see	XXX	Standard	for	DNA	Analysis	of	

239 Entomological	Evidence.

240 h)		Adult	specimens	should be	placed	directly	into	a	container	of	70%+	ethanol	or	

241 should be	simply	placed alive	into	a	vial	with	a	paper	towel	to	protect	them	and	

242 then	sealed before	killing	them	back	in	the	laboratory	(e.g.,	by	placing	in	a	freezer	

243 for	??	hours).	

244

245 4.4.2 Other	Information	Required

246 Forensic	entomology	can	be	used	to	estimate	the	period	of	neglect	for	a	living	person	

247 or	 other	 animal.	 In	 such	 cases,	it	is	 usually advised	 that	 the	 collection	is	made	 by	

248 medical	 personnel	 under	 the	 direction	 of	 a	 forensic	 entomologist.	 Other	 potential	

249 sources	of	insects	near	the	decedent	are	also	important	to	note	as	these	might	confuse	

250 the	evidence.	These	may	include	other	carrion,	decomposing	food,	garbage,	or	dirty	

251 diapers.	

252

253 Temperature	is	vital	to	the	calculation	of	TOC	as	insect	development	is	temperature254 dependent.	 Temperature	 data	 from	 government	 weather	 stations	 are	 most	

255 commonly	utilized.	

256

257 4.4.3 Indoor	Scenes

258 Bodies	discovered	indoors	involve	extra	challenges,	including	questions	concerning	

259 insect	access	and	potential	modification	of	indoor	temperatures.	
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260

261 For	insect	samples	taken	indoors,	it	is	important	to	note:

262 -					if	windows/doors	are	open	and	with	or	without	insect	screens

263 - was	the	sample	collected	from	a	site	in	direct	sunlight

264 - thermostat	temperature	and	time	settings

265 - presence	of	decomposing	food	or	feces	

266 - any	existing	potential	points	of	entry	for	insects,	such	as	broken	windows,	missing	

267 doorknobs,	gaps in	the	ceiling,	etc.

268

269 In	indoor	scenes,	it	is	important	to	note	when	first	responders	entered	and	whether	

270 they	left	doors	open	or	opened	windows	to	ventilate	the	scene, which	can then allow	

271 both	ingress	and	egress	of	adult	 flies.	Flies	that may	have	emerged	 from	 the	scene	

272 may	leave,	whereas	outdoor	flies	may	enter	to	lay	eggs,	attracted	by	decomposition	

273 fluids	 and	 blood.	 In	 the	 latter	 case,	 the	 flies	 may	 lay	 eggs,	 but	 these	 will	 have	 no	

274 bearing	 on	 TOC	 estimations	 as	 such	 colonization	 occurred	 after	 discovery.	 Also,	if	

275 doors	 and	 windows	 are	 opened,	 this	 changes	 the	 inside	 conditions,	 potentially	

276 increasing	or	decreasing	the	temperature.	As	well,	the	entomologist	needs	to	consider	

277 how	 insects	 accessed	 the	 body	 so	 must	 know	 the	 setting	 of	 the	 scene	 before	 it	 is	

278 disturbed.	 First	 responders	 and	 other	 law	 enforcement	 personnel	 may	 also	 alter	

279 thermostat	settings on	property	heating	systems,	so	it	is	important	to	ask	what	the	

280 settings	were	prior to	any	changes.

281

282 After	a	period	of	time, fly	larvae	usually	leave	the	remains	and	conceal	themselves	to	

283 avoid	predation	during	pupariation.	In	outdoor	scenes,	a	suitable	site	may	be	found	

284 by	burrowing	into the	nearby	soil, but	in	indoor	scenes	with	hard	floor	surfaces,	the	

285 larvae	may	crawl	much	further	and	may	be	located	under	rugs,	in	other	rooms,	within	

286 furniture,	and	under	appliances.	Therefore,	a	more	extensive	search	may	be	required.	

287 Fly	puparia may	also	be	confused	with	rodent	feces.	When	carpet/hide beetles	have	

288 colonized	the	decedent,	large	accumulations	of	frass	or	feces	and	larval	exuvia	may	

289 be	present,	and	the	fragile	pupae	or	exuvia	may	be	easy	to	overlook.	

290

291 4.4.4 Outdoor	Scenes

292 Outdoor	scenes often	have	many	more	unknowns	than	indoor	scenes,	particularly	as	

293 regards	temperature.	However,	there	is	usually	no	impediment	to	insect	access	unless	

294 the	body	is	buried	or	wrapped.	Adult	flies	should	be	collected	via	a	sticky	trap	or	a	

295 traditional	 insect	 sweep	 net	 as	 long	 as	 it	 does	 not	 interfere	 with	 trace	 evidence.	

296 Whether	the	body	is	in the sun	or	shade	and	for	how	long	should	be	noted	as	this	can	

297 impact	 temperature.	Once	 the	 body	 has	 been	 removed,	 the	 soil	 beneath should	be	

298 searched	to	a	depth	of	10	cm and	soil	samples	collected	 from	beneath	 the	body	 to	

299 about	two	meters	distant.	

300

301 4.4.5	 Autopsy

302 Ideally,	insect	evidence	should	be	collected	at	the	scene.	However,	in	some	cases,	it	

303 may	not	be	possible	 to	collect	at	 the	scene, or	insects	may	not	be	noticed	until	 the	
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304 autopsy.	In	such	cases,	the	time	that	the	remains	entered	the	morgue	refrigerator	and	

305 the	 time	 that	 they	 were	 removed	 from	 the	 refrigerator	 should	 be	 noted	 as	 insect	

306 development	may	 cease	 or	 slow	 down	 when	 refrigerated.	 The	 temperature	 of	 the	

307 refrigerator	 and	 the	 morgue	 suite	 should	 also	 be	 recorded.	 As	 the	 ambient	

308 temperature	of	the	morgue	suite	may	allow	some	insect	development,	to	mitigate	this	

309 issue,	insects	should	be	collected	as	soon	as	possible	after	the	body	is	removed	from	

310 refrigeration.	During	the	autopsy,	ticks	(larva,	nymph, or	adult),	lice	(nymph	or	adult),

311 or	fleas	may	be	noticed	and	should	be	collected	and	placed	in	70%+	ethanol.	Notes	

312 should	 include	 whether	 such	 specimens	 were	 alive	 when	 collected as	 well	 if	 any	

313 insect	artifacts	are	present	 (e.g.,	bee,	wasp,	 or	ant	 stings	as	well	as	 roach	 or	 other	

314 insect	feeding-sites).	

315

316 4.46 Burials,	Wrapped,	Confined

317 Insects	should	be	collected	 from	buried	bodies	in	 the	same	way	as	from	any	other

318 body,	but	an	increased	search	of	the	surrounding	soil	may	require	the	use	of	coarse	

319 sieves.	When	bodies	are	wrapped,	insects	may	be	 found	 throughout	 the	wrapping.	

320 When	dealing	with	confined	spaces,	methods	previously	outlined	for	other	locations	

321 (e.g.,	indoor) as	specimens	may	be	found	in	the	seams	or	crevices	of	the	confined	area.

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

333

334

335

336

337

338

339

340

341

342

343

344

345

346

347
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348 Annex	A

349 Suggested	equipment	and	supplies	list

350

351 A	 suggested	 Equipment	 and	 Supplies	 List	 for	 Entomology-Based	 Collection	 in	 Forensic	

352 Investigations.

353

354 ● Case	notebook including	body	outline	templates	(see	4.2.2	and	Amendt	et	al.,	2007)	

355 for	recording	information	relevant	to	forensic	entomology	assessment	(e.g.,	location	

356 of	insect	activity)

357 ● Camera for	 photo-documenting	 remains	 at	 the	 scene	 and	 location	 and	 type	 of	

358 entomology	evidence

359 ● Ruler to	be	used	as	a	scale	of	reference	for	images	taken	with	a	camera	

360 ● Container	for	hot	water kill	fixation	of	soft-bodied	specimens	(e.g.,	a	thermos	of	at	

361 least	approximately	80°C	/	176°F	water	and	cup,	electric	hot	water	heater	that	can	

362 plug	into	automobile	or	other	external	power	source)

363 ● 500	mL	of	70%+	ethanol (avoid	isopropyl	and	denatured	alcohol	as	these	interfere	

364 with	DNA	extraction)

365 ● Forceps for	collecting	entomological	specimens

366 ● Positive	closure	screw	cap	containers or	other	leak-proof	containers	 (e.g.,	5	mL	

367 containers)

368 ● Waterproof	ink	pen	and	ethanol-proof	writing	utensils (e.g.,	pencil,	micron	pen)

369 ● Precut	paper	 or	stickers for	 preparing	labels	which	are	 placed	inside	 containers	

370 with	live	or	preserved	specimens	(e.g.,	containing	ethanol)	as	well	as	attached	to	the	

371 outside	of	the	container

372 ● Evidence	bags (include	an	outer	paper	bag	to	protect	specimens	from	direct	sun	and	

373 spectators	from	viewing	contents)

374 ● Ambient	air	temperature	thermometer to	record	the	temperature	at	the	time	the	

375 scene	is	processed

376 ● Probe	 thermometer for	 measuring	 substrate	 (e.g.,	 water,	 soil)	 temperatures	 or	

377 maggot	mass	temperatures

378 ● Non-contact	 thermometer (e.g.,	 infrared,	 laser)	 for	 measuring	 maggot	 mass	

379 temperatures	or	other	surfaces	where	contact	will	either	disturb	evidence	or	the	body

380 ● Standard	appropriate	personal	protective	 equipment	 (PPE) (e.g.,	 one-piece	suit,	

381 gloves,	shoe	covers,	mask,	mosquito	repellent)

382 ● Headlamp	flashlight (facilitates	using	both	hands	to	collect	at	the	scene)	and	extra	

383 batteries

384 ● Packing	material (e.g.,	paper	towels)	to	secure	glass	vials	during	transport	

385 ● Flat	trowel to	scrape	and	search	the	soil	for	insects	associated	with	the	decomposing	

386 remains

387 ● Temperature	data	logger for	scene	temperature	collection	on	the	hour	every	hour	

388 for	five	days	(

389 ● Hand-held	net for	sampling	adult	entomological	specimens

390 ● Sticky	traps for	the	passive	collection of	adult insects

391
10

392 Annex	B

393 Life	Stages	of	a	Blow	Fly

394

395

396

397

398

399

400

401

402

403

404

405

406

407
11

408 Annex	C

409 Bibliography

410 There	are	a	number	of	publications	that	provide	guidance	on	the	collection	and	handling	of	

411 entomological	evidence	and	associated	parameters	to	be	recorded.	The	most	recent	at	the	

412 time	of	this	writing,	and	approved	by	the	American	Board	of	Forensic	Entomology,	is	Sanford	

413 et	al.	(2019).	The	following	were	cited	in	this	Standard.	

414

415 [1]	Adams,	Z.J.O.	and	M.J.R.	Hall.	"Methods	used	for	the	killing	and	preservation	of	blowfly	

416 larvae,	and	their	effect	on	postmortem	larval	length." Forensic	Science	International,	vol.	138,	

417 2003,	pp.	50-61.

418

419 [2]	Hofer,	Ines	MJ,	et	al.	"Estimating	crime	scene	temperatures	from	nearby	meteorological	

420 station	data."	Forensic	Science	International.,	vol.	306,	2020,	110028.

421

422 [3]	Nichols,	S.W.	Torre-Bueno	glossary	of	entomology.	New	York	Entomological	Society,	1989.

423

424

425