Spreading the word about wild bees: UMass PhD candidate and Greenfield native devoted to tiny insects

Spreading the word about wild bees: UMass PhD candidate and Greenfield native devoted to tiny insects

Using small boxes, Aliza Fassler organizes her treasures: tiny native bees. Appearing suspended in eternal midflight, the wild bees are held in graceful freeze-frame with the aid of special pins, hovering above tags printed in microscopic text. The Lilliputian scale of this part of Fassler’s life stands in contrast to the places where she works under the open sky.

In this installment about Fassler’s work, we learn that the ways humans modify the landscape can impact wild bees positively and negatively. “Relationships between wild bees and humans can be mutually beneficial,” Fassler, a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said. “Wild bees provide us with crop pollination, and therefore food! They can also help bring about cleaner water and air, as well as healthier soil, by supporting the reproduction of wild plants.”


Scientists like Fassler aim for a better understanding of bee populations, habitats and behaviors. “We don’t know the population size of most species,” said Fassler. “We also need to know more about their ranges and where they nest, so we can figure out how the needs of bees might align with humans’ increasing needs.” During parts of each year, Fassler spends full days outdoors, five days a week. “I collect bees using nets and brightly colored traps that attract bees, which then fall into soapy water.” Yes, dear readers, some must be sacrificed in the interest of science. Yet Fassler pays homage to the tiny critters, gathering information and sharing it with the U.S. Forest Service. She spends winter workdays peering through a powerful microscope.

It may defy logic to learn that both fire and logging can benefit bees, yet that’s what scientists found in tracking the results of controlled burns and sustainable forestry practices. In commercial logging, small or large groupings of timber are harvested and stacked before processing, creating areas called log landings. “Those areas are generally highly impacted,” said Fassler. “Not only are trees down, but heavy equipment goes in and out. We want to learn whether such areas can be restored in ways that can create habitat and benefit various species.”

Historically, forests were more diverse, said Fassler, in part because pre-colonial forests were older, and there’s inherent complexity to old forests. “Eastern U.S. forests also have a long history of management by Indigenous peoples, who shaped the diversity of habitats in New England forests before colonization.” Open canopy areas are beneficial for native bees, since flowers grow in those spots; taking a page from nature, some scientists and foresters now mimic open canopy areas. Fassler noted that we can enhance areas like log landings by seeding them with native flowering species, rather than the customary non-native grasses. “In places where native species are seeded, we’re finding huge numbers of bees, and higher species diversity.”

Those of us with no scientific or forestry expertise can also help support native bees. Fassler cited a UMass project: “In 17 home yards across Springfield, 111 wild bee species were found. [The study] demonstrated the benefits of mowing every other week rather than weekly.” Seeding or putting in native plants can help, too. Fassler recommends acquiring native plants from nurseries that do not use insecticide sprays, and said, “Make sure you ask!” Native plants are optimal, but native bees can benefit from some non-native plants. “Most bees are generalists,” said Fassler, “using pollen and nectar from both native and non-native plants. Trees provide an abundance of flowers all at once, and some non-native trees bloom when our native trees aren’t blooming, like in the fall. That can be especially beneficial.”


Modern technology can come into play when citizens use iNaturalist to record bees. “Conservation can take place in forests, in urban and suburban places, and even very small areas,” said Fassler. “I feel hopeful when I notice the growing excitement in people who are connecting more with nature since the pandemic, especially when it comes to insects.”

While issues related to native plants may not be cut and dried, it’s important to protect native plant and animal species. “Early in my studies, I had an epiphany,” said Fassler. “Honey bees are not native.” The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the major non-native species in our area, and while there are sweet reasons to love it, the picture isn’t entirely rosy: “We have growing evidence that, when present in high numbers, honey bees compete with our native bee species for food resources and can transmit diseases,” said Fassler. “Honey bees are very important for agriculture, and beekeepers do experience devastating losses. But honey bees aren’t at risk of extinction. Globally, the number of honey bee hives is actually on the rise.” Some native bee species are at risk of extinction, and competition with honey bees may pose an additional threat.

Fassler’s studies and field work keep her busy, yet she has another project in the works: she and her partner, Max Ferony — who’s employed by Mass Audubon — are teaming up to bring a West Chesterfield apple orchard back to its former glory. The couple cares for land and trees that make up the Ireland Street Orchard. “It was an amazing community spot in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” said Fassler.

Fassler’s remarkable diligence and heart seem like family traits: her mom, Fran Fassler, is a licensed social worker, and her dad, David Boles, started the popular Green River Clean-up over 20 years ago. When asked what she would say to her peers who feel overwhelmed and hopeless about our future, Fassler replied, “I empathize with what young people are feeling. I experience eco-grief, too; there’s deep sadness in thinking about species being lost. Our planet may even change in ways that make it unlivable. I choose to stay focused on what I can change. Studying bees gives me hope, and there are definitely things people can do to make a big difference.”