Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-24-2013
Abstract
The effects of blow fly oviposition on 12 young, recently deceased pigs were studied during a one month period in the fall semester of 2012. This project follows similar techniques that Dr. Bugajski used during her research project at Purdue. Using tarp-wrapped bodies as the sole variable, bare pigs were held as the control. The data that were collected included the presence or absence of larvae or adult flies, daily temperatures, samples of both larvae and adult flies, and the start and end of maggot migration. The samples of larvae and adult flies were later identified in the lab and separated based on species. The data suggested that the presence of a tarp wrapped around a deceased pig delayed the oviposition of eggs. A t-test showed that there was a statistical difference in the timing of oviposition between the control and variable. Pig tissue behaves similarly to human tissue during the decomposition stages and it is an affordable and accessible material. Looking ahead, the data from this project can be used by forensic professionals when determining necessary factors of a crime scene involving a body altered in a similar way.
Recommended Citation
Lobosky, Natasha and Stein, Jordan, "The Effects of Tarp Wrapping on Blow Fly Oviposition during Decomposition of Pigs" (2013). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 201.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/201
Biographical Information about Author(s)
Full text link is to abstract only.