Bee Research at the Arnold Arboretum Aims to Protect Native Pollinators
Biology undergraduate Matteo Finnerty’s findings at the Arnold Arboretum could inform bumblebee-friendly plantings
Boston’s Native Bees Are Under Threat. A BU Student Researcher Wants to Help Protect Them
Boston’s Native Bees Are Under Threat. A BU Student Researcher Wants to Help Protect Them
In the 1920s, Boston University professor Otto Plath—a biologist and father of writer Sylvia Plath—studied insects at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, where he observed 13 different species of bumblebees. A century later, a team of BU researchers has found only four different types of bumblebees at the arboretum, including one that is considered extremely rare.
The decline in bumblebee species buzzing around one of Boston’s biggest green spaces reflects global reports of a dramatic decrease in insect diversity, including among native pollinators, says BU biology student Matteo Finnerty. He’s part of the research team conducting fieldwork at the arboretum.
There’s been increasing concern that honeybees—brought to North America by European settlers in the 17th century—have been outcompeting native pollinators, including their larger, fuzzier bumblebee cousins. Although honeybees are now an essential part of American agriculture, a stark fall in the number of native bumblebees and other pollinators could have serious negative ripple effects, impacting crops and wider ecological diversity.
“The broader implications extend to entire ecosystems and human agriculture,” says Finnerty (CAS’27), whose work on the project was funded by BU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. “Pollinators are essential for plant reproduction, and many of the foods we rely on.”
Finnerty was introduced to the project after taking a botany class taught by Richard Primack, a BU College of Arts & Sciences professor of biology. Known for his work using Henry David Thoreau’s notebooks to study climate change at Walden Pond in Concord, Mass., Primack was inspired to pursue this new line of inquiry after rediscovering Otto Plath’s insect observations. Finnerty and Primack have been joined in the study by BU undergraduate Ada Fang (CAS’26) and Brandeis University ecologist Colleen Hitchcock and her student Ethan Rosenfeld.
“What sets this research apart is that we’re looking at competition between honeybees and native bees in the context of woody plants—a less-studied area,” says Finnerty. “We want to find out whether they’re competing for the same floral resources, like nectar and pollen, and whether that competition mirrors what’s been seen with herbaceous plants.”
During sunny days, the team conducts its research by performing five-minute observations on different plants to determine which pollinators visit them, and if the pollinator collects nectar or pollen. The project is in its data collection phase, and the team is still determining if certain patterns are statistically significant.
“If we find strong evidence of competition, that could support arguments for reducing the number of honeybee hives in the Boston area,” says Primack. “And if we identify specific plants that native pollinators prefer, we can encourage planting more of those to support their populations.”
In the video above, watch as Finnerty and Primack conduct their study at the arboretum and explain the dynamics between different species of insects.
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