johncarlson.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Once eradicated from the US, #screwworms are headed back and we don’t have the public health/animal health resources to stop their return. After they escaped quarantine the CDC was great about updating and prep for their return, but since the CDC cuts there hasn’t been much public health prep. 😬

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Termite Swarm Season starts on Mother’s Day. Termites have no defense, and swarm so that the predators will fill up on some of them but leave enough alone to start new colonies. I haven’t seen any swarms yet this season, just singles that get quickly snatched up. Maybe they’ll swarm this weekend? 🤞

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

I treat patients at high risk of dangerous allergic reactions. Most can be treated in our high risk allergy clinic but occasionally someone needs to be in the hospital for what we do. Ladybugs are a symbol of good luck, and so I’m wearing one of my ladybug ties going into the hospital this morning

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

In Australia you are much more likely to encounter our friendly "Red and Black" aka #Nicodamus spiders, than you are our medically significant "red backed" aka #Latrodectus spiders. But they leave that bit out of the Australia memes lol

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

On a walk around the hospital, outside the Emergency Department entrance, on one of the big support columns, I found a tiny little weevil. Just a tiny smudge that resolves into an adorable thing with magnification. Happy #WeevilWednesday!

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

#EntomologyConsult: a woman was weeding in the garden when she felt a sharp pain on her hand. Can you tell what stung her?

submitted 6 days ago • 2 comments

During my lunch-time stroll I chased down a Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth for a photo. These beauties don’t sit still for long but I managed to get one photo in focus when it briefly touched down on a wall in the back of the hospital.

submitted 8 days ago • 8 comments

Here is my favorite #moth in celebration of Mothers Day.

submitted 9 days ago • 3 comments

Getting ready to run the Huey P Long Bridge 5k over the Mississippi River. There’s a nice katydid that came out to cheer people to hop along.

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

A leaf #beetle nestles into a flower during a light rain

submitted 11 days ago • 1 comment

Wonderful op-ed by an extraordinary pediatrician and advocate, Alan Shapiro, describing his experiences with the last measles epidemic, how it was addressed, and why we're having another one now. www.wsj.com/health/healt...

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

I walk around with a Sandmac macro lens attached to my phone. When I see an interesting insect I take out my phone, remove the lens cap and snap a photo. Occasionally the lens cap doubles as a critter confinement container for the very active creatures such as this Palm Seed Weevil from yesterday

submitted 11 days ago • 3 comments

I worked with a lot of great people to start a monthly allergy clinic at Ehret, a large high school on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, to see kids facing barriers to healthcare. I had my last visit for the year yesterday. I’m really pleased with what we’ve been able to pull together.

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

Most of the way back home, I’m awaiting a sequentially delayed flight back to New Orleans. It gives me time to review photos from my trip. Here is a nice one of a scarce swallowtail #butterfly (Iphiclides podalirius).

submitted 16 days ago • 1 comment

The Wasp #Beetle, Clytus arietis, displaying its colors on an oak leaf in bright spring sunlight

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

A Red Cabbage Bug getting ready for flight- reminds me that I’ll be flying back to New Orleans tomorrow morning!

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Someone should invent a special camera that lets you photograph insects deep inside flowers. There are so many little creatures down there but it’s hard to get enough light to see them!

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

I went with my daughter to meet her favorite Formula E racer in Monaco today and while walking through the gardens saw this lovely Striped Hawkmoth, Hyles livornica.

submitted 19 days ago • 5 comments

I’m in France visiting my daughter who obliged me with a walk to some honey bee hives. I was just pointing out how great the “danger bees will sting you!” signs were (and taking this photo) when a bee got stuck in her hair and stung her on her ear. Poor kid!

submitted 20 days ago • 2 comments

A small carpenter #bee explores a flower at the botanical garden in Menton, France.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

A fancy French carpet #beetle, Anthrenus isabellinus

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

There are so many wonderful European insects. I’ll be walking along and see an amazing creature and the internet nonchalantly informs me that it’s just Anthaxia salicis, a #beetle described by Fabricius in 1777. I now know why the father of insect taxonomy was French. So many wonderful insects!

submitted 21 days ago • 1 comment

Out for an early morning walk and look who I found crawling up a wall! This #Cimex looks too hairy to be a bed bug. Bat bug? Pigeon bug?

submitted 25 days ago • 1 comment

The sky and Mediterranean are a beautiful blue today. I believe that is Menton in the distance. And a soldier #beetle of some type in the foreground. #invertefest

submitted 25 days ago • 1 comment

With no native #Vespa species in the US it’s always exciting to me when I spot one. Here is Vespa velutina nigrithorax, having found a spot to sleep for the night along the Mediterranean. #invertefest

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments