Connect with us
The Mallacoota Endemic Garden is attracting more wildlife as the vegetation grows. The local skinks are frequenting the water features and we have noticed these Blue Flower Wasps (Austroscolia soror) buzzing around the Eucalyptus imlayensis, from the top of Mt Imlay (Balawan). We have no idea what attracts them to the Imlay Mallee in particular, but we do love these harmless metallic blue insects.
These wasps feed on the nectar of Tea trees (species).
After mating female wasps burrow into the ground and paralyse Christmas Beetle larvae then lay an egg on the grub. When the egg hatches food is available for the larva.
Blue flower wasps are useful insects. They assist in the pollination of native plants and help control the number of Christmas Beetles that in some years will defoliate eucalypts.
The Imlay Mallee is only found on one side of Balawan near Eden and is particularly vulnerable to climate change and wildfire. We are hoping to see these small gums flowering in the next few years so that we can grow more from seed.
Photo courtesy Louise Docker from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
With a team of passionate locals and nature enthusiasts, we run hands-on programs like bushcare and coastcare, town clean-ups, and a local native plant nursery. Our work extends to advocacy efforts to ensure the voices of our natural habitats are heard in policy discussions.
Copyright © 2026. Friends of Mallacoota. All rights reserved.