On this page you can find some Frequently Asked Questions and their answers. Some of these questions have been asked to me by way of e-mail dozens of times, so I thought it useful to make a FAQ list. If you have a question that is not answered in the list below, never hesitate to mail me!

Q:	Do dragonflies sting or bite?
A:	No way. Dragonflies can't sting, as they don't have any device to sting with. They do have pretty large jaws however, but they need those to crunch the insects they prey on. They don't suck blood and they don't bite people. Only if you catch them and hold your finger right against their mandibles, they will start chewing. That mostly doesn't even hurt and it takes a large dragonfly ages to get through your skin. And even if they succeed, you only get what I call mechanical damage: no poisoning or something like that. Sometimes I receive mail from people claiming to have been bitten by a dragonfly. They say it's like a wasp's sting. Then I tell them politely that it probably WAS a wasp stinging them; not a dragonfly.
Q:	What do dragonflies eat?
A:	Dragonflies and damselflies feed on insects like mosquitos, flies, butterflies and moths and even other, usually smaller dragonflies. They are considered useful! Dragonfly larvae are aquatic and eat anything small enough that moves in the water: tubifex, water beetles, small fishes, salamander larvae, smaller dragonfly larvae.
Q:	How long do dragonflies live?
A:	Adult dragonflies (called imagos) usually don't live much more than about two weeks. Most dragonflies don't die of high age but are caught by predators. If they aren't, they still don't live much longer than two months at max. But the adult phase is only the last phase of a dragonfly's life cycle: first it's an egg and then a larva (nymph) and finally adult (imago). The larval stage can take up to five years! So, before you see a dragonfly flying around, it has been a larva for years already. Damselflies usually have a development of only one year.
Q:	Why are dragonflies attracted to water?
A:	Dragonflies are bound to water for reproduction. They drop their eggs in the water or stick them in plants near or in the water. The larvae live under water until fully grown and then they emerge. But there's another reason: dragonflies feed on insects. Anyone who has a pond knows that ponds attract mosquitos and mayflies (both of which also breed in water) and other flying critters. Where's insects, there's dragonflies.
Q:	I saw a dragonfly rhytmically dipping it's "tail" on the water. What was it doing?
A:	The dragonfly you saw was ovipositing: dropping small packages of eggs in the water, where they can hatch. Each time the abdomen (as the "tail" is officially called) touches the water, one or more eggs are released.
Q:	What can I do to attract dragonflies to my garden? Are they attracted to flowers?
A:	Dragonflies, unlike butterflies, are not attracted to flowers. They don't eat nectar, they are predators and feed on insects. If you want to attract dragonflies, you'd best dig a pond. There's a small booklet available on digging a pond especially for dragonflies. Check this link for more information.
Q:	Some evenings, large groups of dragonflies swarm around my house. They scare me. What are they doing around my house?
A:	There's no reason to be scared, really. Although dragonflies are pretty large, they are really completely harmless and won't attack or hurt you at all. They are probably attracted to swarms of smaller insects, which hang around your house for some reason. Dragonflies eat insects, so if they're swarming around your house, that's in fact a good thing!!!