TWO recent contrasting "nature" articles in the Evening Press (Monday, September 27) gave me food for thought. One was Matthew Woodcock's delightful description of a York wild-life allotment - a haven for numerous small wild creatures ("From 'jungle' into a haven").

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Sweeney for creating such a lovely sanctuary.

The other was Jo Haywood's column ('Home with the kids forever'), which I usually enjoy. Not this time.

How very cruel is the person who sucks up spiders in a Dyson to witness their dying breaths as they struggle in the fluff in the clear cylinder. It sickened me.

Perhaps you don't like spiders, but if you must kill them, please do it humanely. Don't let them suffocate in swirling house dirt.

Insect-eating arachnids are very useful; some are quite beautiful and the intricate construction of their webs beats anything a human engineer can produce. Why can't people live and let live?

Joan E. Paley,

Alwyne Drive,

York.

Updated: 11:26 Wednesday, October 06, 2004