Dear Discovery Centre,
I saw this wasp hanging around the compost bin in my backyard in Eltham (see photo). It was about 2-3cm long. I have never seen one like it before.
Can you tell me what it is? I would also like to know if it is dangerous and whether there is there likely to be a large nest nearby?
Thanks, Kate
Dear Kate,
Thank you for sending your photograph to the Discovery Centre for identification.
The wasp is a native species called a Hairy Flower Wasp (scientific name Scolia soror). The female flower wasp is often seen in gardens searching for beetle larvae to sting and paralyse as a food source for her eggs. If your garden is a good source of beetle larvae you may get a number of wasps hanging around.
Unlike European Wasps, Hairy Flower Wasps are solitary and so do not form large colonies or swarm. They don’t have a communal hive to defend, so they should not be aggressive towards people or animals. You are only likely to get stung if you step on one or pick one up with your bare hand. It is always a good idea to treat Hairy Flower Wasps with respect - the sting is apparently quite painful.
Here is a link to an information sheet that Museum Victoria has produced on this species: http://museumvictoria.com.au/DiscoveryCentre/Infosheets/Hairy-Flower-Wasp/
I hope you find this information useful. Please feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions.
Kind regards, The Discovery Centre at Melbourne Museum.
Dear Discovery Centre,
I visited the Museum on the weekend and saw Phar Lap for the first time. My son Ben was fascinated. He looks so lifelike (Phar Lap, not my son. Actually my son looks quite lifelike too). He would like to know if the skin is really real and if it is what’s underneath it?
Thanks for your help, Sarah
Dear Sarah,
Thank-you for your questions about Phar Lap. Yes, the hide on display is Phar Lap’s hide.
Phar Lap’s body was taxidermied by the Jonas Brothers, who were based in New York. They created the shape of the skeleton using wire, steel and plaster and applied sculptor’s clay over this construction.
To create the veins in Phar Lap’s legs they used pieces of rope, immersed in paste. They then glued the rope onto the sculpture in the exact places where Phar Lap’s veins had been, using close-up photographs of the horse. The final step was putting the skin on the construction.
If you would like more information, you might like to refer to Museum Victoria’s Phar Lap website and the Phar Lap InfoSheet.
Another invaluable resource is the book Phar Lap by Geoff Armstrong and Peter Thompson, Allen & Union, St Leonards, 2000. This is one of several books in the Discovery Centre’s research library.
The Discovery Centre is open 10am to 4.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Entry is free. Please feel free to visit us any time.
Kind regards, The Discovery Centre at Melbourne Museum.