Day 7: 22 June 2009

The pigs are still bloated and the number of maggots has increased on the carcasses. Instead of being concentrated in a few areas, the maggots have moved across the body and are actively feeding on the entire carcass. Adult flies were collected with sweep nets while maggots and beetles were collected from the carcasses and the pitfall traps.

Beetles

Collected at farm: Carrion beetles (Necrophila americana and Necrodes surinamensis), rove beetles (Platydracus spp. and Creophilus maxillosus), the small dung beetle (Onthophagus spp.) ground beetles (Dicaelus politus) and clown beetles (Hister spp.).

Collected at CSU: The hairy rove beetle Creophilus maxillosus.

Flies

Collected at farm: mostly Phormia regina and 1 Calliphora vicina.

Pig 1. Location: University Farm. The face has decomposed quickly and some of the bones can now be seen (Above). The maggots have moved across the carcass and are feeding on the tissues (Below).

Pig 6. Location: University Farm. There are maggots on the face, legs and spilling out from underneath. The thick white areas on the belly, legs and sides of the carcass are maggots.

Pig 3. Location: CSU. The carcass is still very bloated and skin is sloughing off, especially on the legs. There is a large maggot mass on the head and blowfly activity on the pig.

Pig 4. Location: CSU. More blowflies are present on the carcass, but maggots are mostly active on the face (Above). The pig is very bloated, including the abscess on the hind leg. The abscess is getting some attention from blowflies looking to deposit eggs on the swollen mass (Below).

Submitted by Krystal Hans, MS student, Cleveland State University, 23 July 2009.