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Member Symposium

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Forensic Entomology Beyond the Crime Scene: Using Arthropods as Environmental Detectives

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) as potential indicators for locating clandestine graves

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
2:52 PM - 3:04 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, C120-122, OCC
Oral Presentation
Ants have been observed in association with vertebrate carrion in a variety of studies. Some of these ant species, including the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), will act as predators on other carrion feeding species and will also feed on the carrion itself. Ants have also been identified at all stages of decomposition on buried carrion, a situation which can exclude other common carrion feeding insects found on the surface. Based on this, ants provide unique potential for accessing material from buried vertebrates, including human remains buried in clandestine graves, and moving it to the surface where the mounds are located and they can be easily collected. Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) make a good model for investigating this potential as they are widespread throughout the southern United States and densely populated where they are found. This research focuses on multiple aspects required to use ants for the application of clandestine grave location, including (1) how to trap ants in an investigator friendly way, (2) how to detect vertebrate, and eventually human, DNA from fire ants, and (3) what inferences can be drawn based on positive DNA hits.