Really? A Blow Torch?

Here we go again - more adventures in DIY pest control. A fellow in Georgia decided it was time to get rid of those unsightly cobwebs clinging to his house. So how did he go about the job of removing them? He fired up a blow torch and set them aflame.

Not too long after starting the project, Galen Winchell smelled smoke. Yup, you guessed it - his house was on fire. By the time the fire department put the blaze out, the Winchell's home had sustained partial fire damage, and extensive smoke and water damage.

Cobwebs, the irregular silky webs left behind by cobweb spiders, can't hurt you. Some believe they actually have healing properties. I can't quite figure out why Mr. Winchell chose a blow torch over, say, a broom, when he decided to tidy up his home.

This might seem to be an isolated bit of Darwinism in action, but it's not. A neighbor of mine used the same overkill method to rid his trees of gypsy moth caterpillars last year. Fortunately, he didn't require a visit from the fire department, but his trees are covered in black burn marks now. Makes me laugh every time I drive by his house.