Dr Prendergast is a wild bee scientist who has studied native bee biodiversity, urban pollination networks, native bee conservation and the impact of introduced honeybees on native pollinators. In 2022, she made international headlines after discovering a new native bee species in Kings Park and naming it after her pet dog, Zephyr, because of the bee’s unusual dog-like snout. Advertisement“If we want people to protect native bees, we first need them to notice them.” Prendergast said part of the reason native bees had fewer resources allocated to them was because they did not have the same economic backing as honeybees. “There is an economic ideology around saving the bees, but we need a greater appreciation for biodiversity,” Prendergast said.