ALL THE BUZZ: US DOG HELPS RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY BACTERIA THAT HARMS HONEYBEES

One dog in Michigan has gone beyond the traditional role of man’s best friend—she’s become a friend to bees, too. Maple, a nine-year-old springer spaniel, is making headlines for her work with Michigan State University (MSU) researchers in detecting bacteria harmful to bee colonies.

Before taking on her new role, Maple spent seven years with a sheriff’s office, specializing in human remains detection. However, an on-the-job injury forced her retirement, leaving her handler, Sue Stejskal, looking for a way to keep the energetic dog engaged.

“She’s very over-the-top, enthusiastic, and sometimes hard to live with because of her energy level,” said Stejskal, who has more than 25 years of experience training dogs for law enforcement and other specialized roles.

As it happened, MSU entomology professor Meghan Milbrath was looking for innovative ways to detect and diagnose diseases in honeybee populations. A veterinarian familiar with both women introduced them, and soon a plan was in place: Stejskal would retrain Maple to detect American foulbrood, a deadly bacterial disease that affects honeybee larvae.

Now working with MSU’s Pollinator Performance Center, Maple is using her keen nose to help protect bee populations, which have been in long-term decline due to disease, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change.

“American foulbrood harms young developing bees, and when a hive gets infected, it basically leads to death,” Milbrath told local outlet WILX. The disease can have severe consequences for beekeepers, who may be forced to destroy infected hives and burn expensive equipment. “Beekeepers have had to burn tens of thousands of dollars of equipment due to this disease,” Milbrath added.

To do her job safely, Maple wears custom protective gear—a yellow suit, a veil over her head, and booties on her paws to protect against bee stings. Outfitting a dog for bee yard duty has required some trial and error, Stejskal told the Associated Press, since there’s no off-the-shelf solution for canine beekeeping gear.

Michigan is home to around 465 native bee species, and Maple’s work detecting American foulbrood could have wide-reaching benefits. One of the project’s long-term goals is to create a guidebook to help train other dogs for similar work, according to WILX.

For Stejskal, the opportunity was more than just a second career for her dog—it was a lifeline. “I was over-the-moon excited because my dog would have joy in her life and would still be able to work,” she said. “It’s a cool project.”