Meet Maple: Former K-9 now beekeeper

['Clara Lincolnhol', 'Great Lakes Echo', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] Great Lakes Echo 2025-09-19 00:00:00

Maple wears a custom-made beekeeping suit when she works to sniff out potential bacteria in honeybee hives. Kohuth/Michigan State UniversityBy Clara LincolnholMeet former K-9 Maple. She made a big career switch earlier this year—from a human remains detection dog to a beekeeper at Michigan State University’s Pollinator Performance Center. Maple uses her sense of smell to detect American foulbrood, a bacteria that left undisturbed, means certain death for an entire honeybee colony, Stejskal said. This story was reported as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.