Fright of the Bumblebee; July 1995; Scientific American Magazine; by Mirsky; 2 Page(s)

What do you call a bloodhound with wings? If you answered Calliphora vicina, Lucilia illustris, Phormia regina or any other species of blowfly, go to the head of the class. Better yet, go to the police. Your expertise may help them put murderers behind bars.

In recent years law-enforcement officials have started to appreciate the creeping clues that coroners used to wash down the drain. The stomach-turning fact is that any dead body left unattended will begin to attract insects, especially blowflies, almost immediately. Those bugs can reveal all kinds of information about the time of death and the scene of the crime.