The bees were in danger of contracting foulbrood a deadly disease with no cure It was so contagious that if even one infected hive left the state it could wipe out entire bee populations Cybil had to open each hive and inspect every frame inside and there were more fields to go Winter was only a few months away and opening the hives in the cold would harm the bees 6130
Baby bees that die from foulbrood stink like rotting roadkill Dogs have amazing noses that can detect even the tiniest trace of foulbrood in a closed hive Could a sniffer dog be the answer to saving the bees
Cybil already had three dogs but they were all too old She needed to find a young dog that could be trained for scent detection Then at a beekeeper Christmas party she heard about Mack Because he was rowdy and wild Mack's owners kept him in the garage Nobody to play with Nothing to do
When Mack met Cybil it was love at first sniff Thump Thump Thump Mack's tail wagged so hard his whole body shook
