Tracking Boston's Bees

This summer, Suffolk Biology Professor Lauren Lynch and a team of student researchers fanned out across Boston’s neighborhoods—from manicured backyards in Jamaica Plain to community gardens in East Boston—to survey the state of the city’s bees. 

They also explored whether redlining—a now-illegal housing discrimination practice, outlawed by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that historically kept some neighborhoods segregated by race and ethnicity—has had lasting effects on biodiversity in the city.  

“We do still have lingering impacts of historical redlining on access to nature and on green space in cities,” explains Lynch. “There are some studies on [how that impacts] biodiversity , but as far as I know, it hasn’t been done for bees.” 

During weekly visits to gardens across the city, students recorded the number and types of bees responsible for transferring pollen from flower to flower to fertilize plants. It’s essential work that humans rely on. The USDA estimates that one in every three bites of food that make up the American diet are directly or indirectly benefited by honeybee pollination alone.  

“[Pollinators] really help us to produce healthy foods,” says Jenny Tran, a rising sophomore biology major and forensic science minor, pointing to the importance of local farms and produce during nationwide food supply disruptions like the cyclospora outbreak happening at the time of the students’ fieldwork. “When I do research on the bees it makes me hopeful about the future.” 

Lynch is hopeful, too, based on the number and biodiversity of specimens the students have cataloged so far. They found honeybees, bumblebees, and a whole range of other genera that people are less likely to be familiar with, says Lynch. The next step will be to thoroughly catalogue each specimen, analyze the data, and compare this year’s findings to past results to see if their initial observation—that Boston’s bees seem to be thriving—is accurate.  

People often assume that cities are bad for wildlife, says Lynch. While that can be true for some species, research has shown that in some cases bees might be an exception. Lynch, who has studied urban pollinators in Chicago and Cotonou, Benin, points to a simple formula of supply and demand: “You have a lot of houses, and the houses are closer together, and they all have little gardens. So it’s really just all about the floral resources. If you have more flowers, you’re probably going to have more bees.” 

During a time when many global pollinator populations are in decline, Boston’s bee biodiversity seems encouraging—and offers insights into the complex ways in which city management can impact wildlife.  

Manuel Navas, Class of 2028, is a double major in mathematics and biology whose interest in community health inspired him to join the fieldwork team this year. He says the most surprising part of the work had been seeing how historically redlined zones of the city actually seem to foster more pollinator biodiversity compared to places that received dedicated funding for parks.  

“You’d expect there to be more biodiversity in these open green spaces, but one factor might be that they were using more pesticides,” he says. 

Students also learned about the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a 17-acre greenspace created during the city’s Big Dig construction project.  

“The impact the city has had is very eye-opening to me," says Navas. "All this greenery is bringing so much biodiversity to Boston.” 

Environmental science major and native New Yorker Farida Mintoumba, Class of 2028, says this summer’s fieldwork experience has allowed her to explore Boston’s neighborhoods in more depth. As she’s gained appreciation for nature on a very micro level—including learning to identify a bumblebee species by the number of stripes on its bottom as it buzzes by—she’s also seen how interconnected the city can be.  

“It’s been really fun to see the different communities and communicate with different people. I’m realizing how much bees actually do for our communities.” 

How to Support Urban Pollinators

• Start small—even a single window box full of flowers provides important sustenance for pollinators as they move through the city 
• Choose native plants like milkweed, bee balm, and purple coneflower for your garden 
• Plant flowers that will nourish pollinators during different seasons, such as New England aster and goldenrod in the fall and golden Alexander and wild columbine in the spring
• Avoid pesticides that can harm insects and other wildlife 
• Volunteer in your local community garden