Michael Viney responds to queries and observations on nature.
I found a dark-brown beetle in my garden pond, and one pair of its legs looked like flippers. Do these beetles live exclusively in water?
Anne McCabe, Ratoath, Co Meath
You have the great diving beetle. Its larvae, big as shrimps, are ferocious predators on all pond life. And yes, they can fly.
I have found small beetles indoors which are half the size of a ladybird or less. They vary in colour from black to light brown, speckled with a few white dots. Do they fly in from the garden?
James Glynn, Co Galway
They sound like varieties of ladybird which come in several sizes and different colours, and they fly in from the garden.
My garden is festooned with webs of Araneus diadematus. I have noticed these spiders reacting dramatically each time my dogs bark.
Have they got special hairs to detect sound vibrations and where are their organs of hearing?
Susan Flynn, Ballybrack, Co Dublin
Spiders detect sound vibrations in the air through the web and hairs on their legs.
Michael Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo; e-mail: viney@anu.ie. Include a postal address