We’ve had all sorts of visitors at our new offices here at 71 Sass Rd. And that includes a few unwelcome ones.
I’m not talking about thieves, and thanks to the good folks at R&T Security Services, we are armed and alarmed against those as well.
No, I’m talking about ants. I walked into the kitchen last week to see an army of ants up on the kitchen table, attracted to a butter knife left out.
We killed the table-top ants, but I knew their friends would be back. Ants communicate by using pheromones and leave such a trail when they find a good food supply. The trail will run from the colony right to the food, and in no time, the other ants come and check things out.
So, despite the fact we killed all visible ants, we knew their buddies would show up.
And they did, only to enjoy an ant trap. Man, do they love those traps.
So our problem actually got worse before it got better, as the pesky beggars found the new “food” supply and sent new pheromone messages out. But as each one visited the trap, their time on the planet instantly became much shorter.
A full day after implementing the trap, the number of ants dropped dramatically. Buh-bye.
At The Voice, we’re a very welcoming group. But ants aren’t on the approved guest list.
Alarmed and ready
One person who’s always welcome here is Andy from R&T Security Services. Well, actually Frank and Dwayne can pop by anytime as well. Good folks.
Andy had the task of wiring up the office last week, putting sensors on doors and windows, and setting up the system in general.
We’re wired up and appreciative of the quick effort.
Angry old man
Sometimes I rant on Facebook, poking fun at folks, such guys with the Millennial Look. I’m talking about the guys with the huge beards, man-buns (ugh) and other such attire.
I saw one of these guys wearing a knitted hat during a recent heat wave. I hope he didn’t let his fashion addiction give him heat stroke.
Then again, he had nothing on this fella I saw late last week. As the temperature pushed past 27C, and the humidity rolled into C-K, I noticed this pedestrian with a black hoodie zipped up to his chin, with the hood pulled up over his hat.
Wow. Sweat city. Hope he stayed hydrated.
I’ve long moved past form over function in terms of clothing. If it’s hot out and I’ve got a lot of running around to do, I will wear shorts during the workday. Why sweat more than you have to?
I am stubborn, however, in that I try to stay away from using the air conditioning in the vehicle. Windows rolled down and a breeze are usually good for me. But when the temperatures head into the mid-30Cs, even I’ll break down and turn on the AC.
Too cool for coal
I had to laugh recently on social media where someone accused me of burning coal to cook food. The person basically accused me of being a user of a non-renewable resource.
Umm, I use lump charcoal, not coal. There is a HUGE difference.
Coal is the mineral anthracite, a fossil fuel composed of carbon and created over millions of years by the pressurizing and long-term breakdown of organic materials such as plant remains.
Charcoal is produced by slow heating of wood or other combustible substances in the absence of oxygen.
The lump charcoal I use comes from wood. That’s a renewable resource.
Does burning lump charcoal give off greenhouse gases? Yes. So do natural gas and propane.
What bugs me
Naturally, as I burn my charcoal to barbecue, I’m outdoors. And later in the evenings, those pesky mosquitoes decide to show up for a bite to eat, with me as the target.
The folks at Thermacell sent me a couple of Patio Shield devices to keep the little beggars at bay.
These little cylinders have a simple operating process. You heat a small pad that contains a version of a natural insect repellent found in chrysanthemums and what is given off repels the mosquitoes.
It uses a small butane cartridge to provide the heat.
The Patio Shield is supposed to provide a zone of protection about 4.5mx4.5m. So, I should be protected on the patio around the barbecue, or by the hot tub.
I’ll check back in a future column to let you know how well the Patio Shield works.
