Michigan State University (MSU) has welcomed an unexpected but adorable addition to its research team: Maple, a retired police K-9 who’s now using her nose to help protect Michigan honeybee colonies.
Maple is part of the team at MSU’s Pollinator Performance Center, where researchers are focused on improving pollinator health and supporting the beekeeping industry.
How does Maple the dog help researchers at MSU?
The Pollinator Performance Center, which launched in 2021, is home to several research initiatives like this one. Their goal is to keep pollinators like honeybees healthy and thriving, so they can continue their critical role in agriculture and the environment.
Maple’s job? Sniffing out harmful bacteria in hives before it spreads.
Beekeepers typically have to manually inspect colonies for signs of disease like American foulbrood, and at that it’s a tedious and sometimes too-late process…