Date: Tuesday, March 11
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
Tonight’s lecture will cover the basics of forensic entomology with a focus on bed bugs to explain the use of insects in the estimate of the postmortem interval and/or the beginning of insect invasion. Lou will explain the three forensic entomology disciplines, and also talk about bed bugs, the insect that no one really wants to be associated with, yet are unfortunately closely associated with human beings, their common host. Bed bug biology and behavior as well as feeding strategies will be covered, and live-and safely enclosed!-bedbugs will be on view.
Louis Sorkin began his career in arachnid studies during his graduate work at the University of Connecticut where he researched arthropod parasites of spiders and mite work. In 1978, Lou began work on spider and other arachnid collections working under the Curator of Arachnids, in what was then called the Department of Entomology at the American Museum of Natural History. His interest in entomophagy and forensic entomology (the latter includes stored products, urban, and medico-legal studies) began many years ago. One investigation centered on blood spatter at the crime scene that actually turned out to be wet cockroach feces (rather than from a shooting or knifing) deposited by hungry roaches that had been snacking on the pooled blood at the scene and took up harborage on certain walls. At present, some of his studies include investigations on the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) due to the relatively recent increase in infestations of many homes, business, hotels, by this insect and for which he receives inquiries on their natural history and biology and management. He keeps a few bed bug colonies for study and for educational purposes that he regularly feeds – on himself!
Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects and at this point in time, there are quite a number of countries whose people regularly consume insects. Farming and harvesting of these invertebrates comprise large commercial ventures in these countries. Many governmental nutritional agencies recognize that insects are a much underutilized commodity throughout the world. The turnover ratio of raw materials to finished product is a smaller carbon footprint in insect rearing with respect to raising vertebrate animals (i.e., mammal, bird, fish) for human consumption. In 1992, Lou ran one of the first “Bug Banquets” in the United States in observance of the centennial anniversary of The New York Entomological Society where the use of insects as food was the theme of the program.