ROGUE WANDERER: Fire, ants, however no fireplace ants

ROGUE WANDERER: Fire, ants, however no fireplace ants

Published 7:00 am Thursday, July 23, 2026

Everyone inside eye or nostril shot is aware of by now that we have now our first important too-close-for-comfort wildfire. I might say conflagration however that’s too fairly a phrase.

Every day I scan the northern horizon to eyeball the plume. Air high quality goes south but once more, and exhibits are cancelled. Some individuals and animals have been displaced. Buffy Pollock (one superb journalist/author) wrote a heartwarming story for the Rogue Valley Times about neighbor serving to neighbor. It’s all the time superb to me how individuals come by means of in a disaster.

It’s no cliché to say I pray each day for the courageous firefighters. The warmth, the smoke, the aching muscle mass and blisters, sleepless nights for days on finish. The ambient temperature is well near 100 levels. At the hearth line, temperatures can spike to 1,500. The identical protecting fits they put on to defend them from intense warmth, traps warmth inside. This monster has been significantly willful.

Rain is however a reminiscence besides the place my sister, Nancy, lives in — of all locations — Phoenix, Arizona. She acquired a whacking good quantity. It’s monsoon season there. The Sonoran Desert acquired rain whereas the Agate Desert and surrounds stay blastedly arid. Yes, a brand new phrase: blastedly. Add it to your Pegorian lexicon and use it freely.

So thanks, thanks, pricey firefighters. You are appreciated and revered. Come residence safely.

Far much less problematic and ant-finitesimally much less of a difficulty, Aunt Sophie (my residence) and I’ve been inundated with ants. In years previous, a small pond of Terro Ant Killer positioned on a tiny cardboard raft took care of them. Oh, their kin could seem for seconds, however nobody got here again for thirds. This yr I had gone by means of a complete bottle and nonetheless they got here. It was like a Southern Baptist potluck.

To worsen the state of affairs, these small family ants have bigger cousins from the Carpenter household department. They had been overtly munching their method by means of Aunt Sophie’s window frames! There had been piles of sawdust with ant legs and heads blended up in it like a fibrous GORP.

This wouldn’t be tolerated. Aunt Sophia didn’t come 126 years by means of time, fireplace and flood to have her frames gnawed on by quarter-inch beasties.

For the file, carpenter ants don’t eat wooden like termites do, however reasonably tunnel by means of it to construct their households and host hootenannies. There shall be a sizzling time within the previous colony tonight.

For the primary time in many years, I phoned an exterminator. The final time I broke down and referred to as somebody, it was for a rat. I paid $700 to rid my residence of 1 in-house rat (reference the film “Mousetrap” with Christopher Walken because the exterminator).

Anyway, I strongly dislike chemical substances of all kinds. One can inform that by the weeds making merry in my yard and internet adornments on the porch. I knew I wanted assist this time so I referred to as Derek with Rogue Valley Exterminators: 541-816-0357 (or you’ll be able to attain him on his web site at roguevalleypest.com).

Derek is one other one that now is aware of I’m unusual. I instructed him to not goal my daddy long-legs spiders. In reality, he noticed one in his headlamp beam inside the home so I grabbed the spider jar and rehomed it outdoors. I stated I had no beef with them or any helpful bugs. He went together with me and nodded with out laughing, a lot to his credit score, whereas telling me he couldn’t assure that in the middle of his ant annihilation techniques he wouldn’t unintentionally do a spider in by means of pleasant fireplace. I understood.

So, the day earlier than he got here, I moved some webs away from the home windows and discouraged their residents from returning anytime quickly. I additionally recommended the ants have their estates so as as they’d assuredly overstepped their bounds.

I appreciated Derek. Thank you, Ann for the advice. He’s affordable, ensures his work for 60 days, and presents senior reductions. He’s not pushy and doesn’t attempt to drive a contract. Now he has one other kooky buyer story to share across the campfire. I’m pleased to oblige.

We’ll get by means of this sizzling and dusty summer season collectively, like all the time.

The East Evans Creek fireplace and its offspring (and others) will finally puff and billow their final gasp as will the final ant, for now. I’m trying ahead to fewer phrases like “blow-up,” “spot fire,” “pyrocumulus,” and “evacuation upgrade.” We’ll hear higher ones like “mopping up,” “100% contained,” and “dead out.” Stay protected, all.

Peggy Dover is a contract author/creator. Reach her or Big Ed the tabby at peggydover@gmail.com.