Which statement is true about temperature and insect development?

• A. Insects develop faster at warmer temperatures.
• B. Temperature at the scene are always identical to weather station data.
• C. Insects develop faster only at extreme temperatures.
• D. Temperature has no effect on insect development.

Answer: (C)

Warmer temperatures speed up insect development within the species’ viable range because metabolic processes run faster as heat increases. This means growth through immature stages generally takes less time when it’s warm, which is the reason temperature is a key factor in estimating postmortem interval using degree-days. But there’s a catch: if temperatures get too high (or too low), development can slow down or mortality can rise, so extremes do not produce the fastest growth. The idea that development is fastest only at extreme temperatures isn’t accurate. Also, scene temperatures aren’t always identical to distant weather readings, and temperature clearly does affect development, so those statements aren’t correct.