Kit Prendergast

Kit Prendergast presenting at CitSciOz in 2023

Kit Prendergast, nicknamed "The Bee Babette", is a wild bee ecologist from Perth, Western Australia.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

She studied at Curtin University^[6] and gained her PhD after researching the biodiversity of native bees and pollination networks in urban areas, along with how to conserve them and the impact of honeybees on native bees.^[7][8] Prendergast has also researched and written about urban area issues for bees, focusing on Perth and the south west of Western Australia.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Prendergast goes under the moniker "The Bee Babette" when performing as a science communicator^[3] and has published material about how to create bee sanctuaries.^[13][14] Her other areas of research include undertaking biodiversity assessments, pollination ecology, critiquing methods for surveying pollinators, native bee ecology and behaviour and citizen science.^{[15][1][3][7][16][17][4]} In 2019, Prendergast was named as a finalist for Young Scientist of the Year.^[18]

She discovered a new species of native bee, Leioproctus zephyr, named after her dog Zephyr.^[1][19][20] Prendergast also has a large tattoo of two bees having sex on her right shoulder. She describes the bees, Amegilla dawsoni, as her favourite bee species.^[2]

Prendergast discovered two different species of native Australian bee (xanthesma (xenohesma) perpulchra and xanthesma (xanthesma) brachycera) were actually just one.^[21][22][23]

Prendergast is also the author of Creating a Haven for Native Bees and Abuzz About Dawson's Burrowing Bee.^[2]

Outside of her scientific work, Prendergast is a circus performer.^[24] She also has an arts degree.^[25]

References

1. Leaver, Kate (5 November 2022). "New native bee species with distinctive 'snout' discovered in Perth's Kings Park". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
2. "Native bees and taxonomy with Dr Kit Prendergast (#34)". STEAM powered show. STEAM powered. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
3. "Kit Prendergast". The Conversation. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
4. "Kit Prendergast". Profile. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
5. "Kit Prendergast".
6. "Kit Prendergast".
7. Davis, Ashleigh; Hargreaves, Georgia (9 March 2022). "European honey bees putting native species at risk, researchers say, but industry begs to differ". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
8. "Native Bee Buzz". Gardening Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
9. Species of native bees in the urbanised region of the southwest Western Australian biodiversity hotspot, Curtin University, retrieved 12 January 2023
10. Supporting data for A global review of determinants of native bee assemblages in urbanised landscapes (version 2), Curtin University, retrieved 12 January 2023
11. Urban domestic gardens support populations of the native bee Leioproctus (Leioproctus) plumosus- supplementary material videos, Curtin University, retrieved 12 January 2023
12. Prendergast, Kit; Dixon, Kingsley; Bateman, Bill (2021), Interactions between the introduced European honey bee and native bees in urban areas varies by year, habitat type and native bee guild, OXFORD UNIV PRESS, ISSN 0024-4066
13. Prendergast, Kit (2018), Bee hotels for Australian bees : bee hotel design recommendations, and information on Australian cavity-nesting bees with a focus on bees of south-west Western Australia, [Kit Prendergast], retrieved 12 January 2023
14. Prendergast, Kit (2020), Creating a haven for native bees, Kit Prendergast, retrieved 12 January 2023
15. Prendergast, Kit; Vanderstock, Amelie; Neilly, Heather; Ross, Catherine; Pirotta, Vanessa; Tegart, Patrick (2022). "Potential and pitfalls of citizen science with children: Reflections on Pollinators in the Playground project". Austral Ecology. 47 (2): 189–195. doi:10.1111/aec.13031. S2CID 233619135.
16. Bassett, Jon (21 April 2021). "Researcher urges hobby bee hives to shut to protect endangered native bees". PerthNow. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
17. "Native bees of south-west Western Australia". Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
18. "Native bees and taxonomy with Dr Kit Prendergast (#34)". 17 October 2021.
19. "New unusual bee species discovered with dog-like snout". Curtin University. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
20. Wood, Eileen (4 October 2022). "Curtin University scientist Kit Prendergast names new bee after her dog". Border Mail. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
21. "Two bees or not two bees, that is the question". PerthNow. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
22. Wilkinson, Lucien (2023-10-30). "Two bee species become one as researchers solve identity puzzle | News at Curtin". Retrieved 2024-01-11.
23. "Xanthesma (Xenohesma) perpulchra and Xanthesma (Xanthesma) brachycera are conspecific based on DNA barcodes". Taxonomy Australia. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
24. "Kit Prendergast, scientist and conservation biologist, dedicated to preserving indigenous native bees". 31 January 2021.
25. "Dr Kit Prendergast the Bee Babette".