EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Researchers at a Michigan State University facility dedicated to protecting honey bees are enlisting a four-legged ally to sniff out danger to the prized pollinators.

The Pollinator Performance Center’s wide range of projects includes developing a training program for dogs to use their sensitive noses to uncover a bacterial disease called American foulbrood that threatens honey bee larvae.

Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years because of disease, insecticides, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. A considerable portion of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by bees.

Maple, who once served as a human remains detection dog for the St. Joseph County sheriff’s office, has created quite the buzz.

The panting 9-year-old English springer spaniel stood patiently on a recent weekday as Sue Stejskal, her longtime owner, trainer and handler, slowly placed the retired K-9 in a yellow protective suit. The garment includes a veil for her head and four booties worn on her paws in case Maple steps on a bee.

“Much like with humans, we recognize that if a dog is going to be in an active bee yard, they need to wear the same personal protective equipment as people do,” said Stejskal, a Michigan State graduate who has been training dogs over a quarter-century for law enforcement and other uses.

Maple suffered an injury while on a case in Ontario, forcing her to retire as a detection K-9 in 2024. But fate intervened.

Meghan Milbrath, an MSU professor whose lab studies risk factors that affect honey bees’ health, was working to establish diagnostic and screening tools for honey bee diseases. A veterinarian who participated in a training about honey bees put Milbrath in touch with Stejskal.

They met, and the dog detection plan was born.

Stejskal then set about teaching an old dog a new trick. New to Maple, anyway. Maryland’s agriculture department has also used canine detection methods in beehives.