LIKE any Bed and Breakfast, you need to maintain it in order to retain guest satisfaction.
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And the same goes for the Bed and Breakfast for birds, butterflies, bees and biodiversity at the Bathurst Charles Sturt University campus.
To ensure the satisfaction of the beautiful biology which the garden is often home to, a team of wildlife warriors got to work on the garden on Monday, May 20.
And the event just happened to coincide with World Bee Day.
The campus garden, which was first developed in 2021 to provide habitat for the native Blue Banded Bee and the Purple Copper Butterfly, was the popular strip of nature that was nurtured on the day.
The garden has been in full bloom over the summer months with plenty of bees and butterflies making their way through the diverse plant life.
![Dr Felicity Small [centre] and her team of volunteers at National Bee Day. Picture by James Arrow Dr Felicity Small [centre] and her team of volunteers at National Bee Day. Picture by James Arrow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/187433128/0aa89f80-3e5a-4fc5-ada0-6ab39f3365ad.jpg/r0_0_5472_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
So, to commemorate World Bee Day, Dr Felicity Small, senior lecturer in marketing and school of business, and faculty of business, justice and behavioural sciences led a working bee at the grounds.
"Today we are here to basically clean up the garden after the finalisation of summer, and we're basically bedding it down for the winter," she said.
This was all to ensure the satisfaction of the pollinators which visit the garden, and in turn, reward us with the fruits of their labour.
![One of the team members was hard at work for National Bee Day. Picture by James Arrow One of the team members was hard at work for National Bee Day. Picture by James Arrow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/187433128/ba991d62-347e-4bd0-97eb-33225d264f3d.jpg/r0_0_5472_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The purpose of the activity is just keep the idea of pollinators in people's minds and to reinforce why they are so important," Dr Small said.
"In terms of what pollinators do, they're actually fundamental to our ecosystems as well as our food production. One in every three bites of food comes because of pollinators.
"Without the pollinators, coffee, chocolate, all those kinds of crops that we have in our daily lives, they simply wouldn't exist."
Once the plants have been properly pruned down, this will ensure strong new growth for when the warmer months arrive.
This is all to provide a habitat for these animals, as their homes are being destroyed by cropping and urbanisation.
And adding to the threat for bees in our country, is the lethal Varroa mite, which is wreaking havoc on imported honey bee colonies, with consequences still unknown for native bee species.
Growing two plants with one seed
As well as the event ensuring the safety of our bees and pollinators for years to come, Dr Small said it was also a great way to work on wellbeing for individuals - a way to grow two plants with one seed.
"It really has a cathartic effect on people ... so spend some time in the garden," she said.
"It really does wonders for your mental and physical health, all while helping doing a good deed for the bees."