Former K-9 Maple is busy as a bee sniffing out threats to Michigan State University colonies

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. “You can’t buy them on Amazon for dogs. So, there’s been some altering and testing.”

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.

Michigan State’s objective is to train many more dogs to join the ranks. Milbrath said she is documenting Maple's training and plans to write a book with Stejskal to educate other teams about their strategy.

Maple, clad in her yellow suit, raced between hive boxes during a recent demonstration. When she found the scent clue left for her, Maple stopped at the box and coolly looked up at Stejskal.

“Good girl. Yes,” Stejskal enthusiastically said, before removing Maple’s veil and tossing a green, Michigan State-branded toy her way.

Stejskal recognizes the work they’re doing is important.

“It’s a cool project,” Stejskal said. “But I was over-the-moon excited, because my dog would still have joy in her life and would still be able to work.”

In this image made from video, Meghan Milbrath, a Michigan State University professor whose lab studies risk factors that affect honey bees' health, holds a frame covered in bees at MSU's Pollinator Performance Center Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

In this image made from video, handler Sue Stejskal lets Maple, an English springer spaniel, sniff a bee-themed dog toy at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

In this image made from video, bees gather on the frame of a hive box at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

In this image made from video, an English springer spaniel named Maple pants while sitting on the grass at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

In this image made from video, Maple, an English springer spaniel wearing a protective suit, looks up at her handler, Sue Stejskal, at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

U.S. stocks are slipping in early trading Wednesday as Wall Street closes out a banner year for markets driven by both optimism and uncertainty.

The S&P 500 was down 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 111 points, or 0.2%, as of 10:07 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%. The stock indexes are coming off a three-day losing streak.

Trading is expected to be light ahead of the New Year’s Day holiday, when markets will be closed. With just one trading day left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions for the year and trading volume has been very thin.

Even after their mini post-Christmas pullback, the indexes are on pace for strong gains for the year.

The S&P 500 is up more than 17% this year, it’s third straight double-digit annual gain. The Nasdaq is up 21.3% and the Dow has gained 13.7%.

Wall Street’s 2025 gains came as investors embraced the optimism surrounding artificial intelligence and its potential for boosting profits across almost all sectors. But the market had no shortage of turbulence along the way amid President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on imported goods worldwide and uncertainty over the trajectory of interest rates.

The S&P 500 plunged nearly 5% on April 3, it’s worst day since the 2020 COVID crash. It fell another 6% a day later, after China’s response raised fears of an escalating trade war. Worries also gripped the U.S. Treasury market.

Trump eventually put his tariffs on pause and negotiated agreements with countries to lower his proposed tariff rates on their imports, helping calm investors’ nerves.

Strong profit reports from companies and three cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve also helped drive markets higher.

Still, the AI frenzy that drove markets in 2025 did not come without concerns. Chief among them is the worry that artificial intelligence technology may not produce enough profits and productivity to make all the investment worth it. That could keep the pressure on AI stocks like Nvidia and Broadcom, which were responsible for much of the market’s gains this year.

And it’s not just AI stocks that critics say are too pricey. Stocks across the market still look expensive after their prices climbed faster than profits.

On top of concerns that stocks are overvalued, the ongoing impact of the wide-ranging U.S.-led trade war threatens to add more fuel to inflation in the U.S. Despite the Fed cutting rates over concerns about the labor market, inflation remains solidly above the central bank’s 2% target.

Wall Street is betting that the Fed will hold interest rates steady at its next meeting in January.

Traders got an update on the state of the job market Wednesday. The Labor Department reported that fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week with layoffs remaining low despite a weakening labor market.

Technology and communication services stocks were among the biggest weights of the market Wednesday.

Broadcom fell 1.1% and Micron Technology was 2% lower.

Treasury yields were mostly higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.14% from 4.13% late Tuesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, rose to 3.46% from 3.45%.

Trading in precious metals continued to be volatile as the year winds down. Silver swung back to a big loss, giving back more than 6% early Wednesday after Tuesday's gain of more than 10%. Following Friday's 7.7% jump, silver lost nearly 9% on Monday. It's still up more than 140% this year.

Gold was down 0.6%, but is still up 65% in 2025.

Elsewhere, global stock markets including Germany, Japan and South Korea were closed Wednesday for the New Year's holidays, while trading was mixed in those that remained open.

U.S. crude picked up 39 cents to $58.34 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 36 cents to $61.69 per barrel.

Hajime Moriyasu, the head coach of Japanese national soccer team, rings the bell during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)