Students

Amy (Kit) Prendergast

The importance of Australian Native Bees, Curtin University

The mountain gorillas had Diane Fossey, the crocodiles had Steve Irwin and the Australian Native Bee has Kit Prendergast. There are over two thousand species of Australian native bees and they are far superior pollinators than the introduced species of Honey Bees. We need Australian Native Bees to ensure the pollination of tomatoes, macadamia nuts, our exquisite native flowers and so much more. Kit has already spent more than six hundred hours observing what flowers native bees visit to provide an inventory to home owners, businesses, local councils and garden centers to protect the precious native bees. Given that native bees underpin the health and functioning of our ecosystems, Kit’s research is vital in finding the balance between urbanization and our beautifully unique environment.