Which of the following best explains why entomology is used in PMI estimation?

• A. Insects have temperature-dependent development rates that correlate with time since death.
• B. Insects are always present regardless of environment.
• C. Insects do not affect decomposition.
• D. Insects only colonize during daytime.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that entomology helps estimate the time since death because insects on a body develop through life stages in a way that depends on temperature. Forensic entomologists identify the species present and determine their developmental stage (eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults). Using known development timelines for those species and the measured temperatures the body has experienced, they can estimate how long the insects have been developing, which provides a timeline for when death likely occurred. This approach relies on the fact that development rates are temperature-dependent and closely tied to time since death.

Insects do influence decomposition by feeding and altering tissues, so they’re not neutral to the process. Also, colonization isn’t guaranteed to happen in all environments or only during the day; access to the body, environmental conditions, and other factors affect whether insects arrive and when they do.