MSU’s Newest Researcher Has Four Legs, a Wet Nose, And a Talent for Saving Bees

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.

But Maple’s super-powered sense of smell allows her to detect bacterial threats much faster, potentially saving entire colonies from collapse. She’s trained to identify the scent of infected brood, alerting handlers so the hive can be treated or removed quicker than ever. Talk about a useful nose!

It’s Maple's unique use of scent detection skills that could change how beekeepers monitor hive health. Not just in Michigan, but across the country as well. She might be one of the keys to helping save our honeybee population.

Maple may be retired from her police K-9 duties, but she’s still making a difference, one sniff at a time.