Insects in science
Museum scientist Shelley Cook using a backpack aspirator, a suction device for collecting mosquitoes to study
Insects have many uses. For some, such as indigenous tribes in Africa, Asia and Australasia, they are a tasty, high-protein snack. Police and detectives in Britain use insects for a very different reason. In murder enquiries, they can be used to work out the time of death. Follow the tell-tale maggots below!
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On maggots and murders: forensic entomology
Martin Hall presents a gruesome overview of the ways in which insects can provide vital clues in murder cases.
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World's longest insect revealed
The record for the world's longest insect has been broken by a 56.7 cm long stick-insect from Borneo which has joined the Natural History Museum's collections. Watch the video.
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Mystery insect found in Museum garden
An insect not seen in the UK before was discovered in the Wildlife Garden in 2008 and it baffled insect experts. Watch the video.
Toolbox
The Museum's smallest members of staff are our flesh-eating beetles, Dermestes maculates, who strip carcasses to the bone.