How do you fight a deadly bee disease? Call “Mack” the Bee Dog!
Mack, a Labrador Retriever, is a rescue dog who worked to protect Maryland’s honeybee populations from American Foulbrood (AFB), one of the most devastating honeybee colony diseases. After nine years of hard work with his owner and handler Cybil Preston, Mack retired last year. But who has taken over his job, and what is Mack doing now?
How Did Mack Protect Honeybees?
Preston, a master beekeeper, is the chief apiary inspector for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. It’s her job to oversee the certification of honeybee colonies in Maryland as disease-free. Her work is essential as commercial honeybee colonies are shipped across the United States to pollinate food crops such as almonds, apples, and strawberries. As approximately one-third of crops in America require pollination, without these bees, you wouldn’t have the same selection of foods on your table.
The bee disease AFB is of particular concern because it can rapidly spread from hive to hive. Therefore, if an infected bee colony leaves the state, it could destroy local bee populations at its destination. Preston can inspect the colonies herself, and does in the summer, but a scent detection dog like Mack is at least 10 times faster and can inspect in the winter when opening the hives would be harmful to the bees.
‘The Dog Who Saved the Bees’
Mack’s work detecting AFB is so critical that he and Preston received the Customer Service Heroes Award from the governor of Maryland in May 2017. And Mack is no stranger to celebrity. Preston has been interviewed about her bee dog program for local papers and TV stations. She and Mack have also appeared in The New York Times, Oprah’s O Magazine, and on an episode of Disney’s “It’s a Dog’s Life.”
Mack and Preston’s story is so captivating that there’s a children’s picture book about their lives entitled “The Dog Who Saved the Bees.” Preston is particularly excited about the book because kids will learn about her incredible dog. “The best part for me is the fact that Mack’s life and legacy is in print forever. All of my dogs are very special, but we’re so blessed to have Mack in our family. Now other people can read the book and know how special he is.”
Mack Retires at 11 Years Old
Mack was an official employee of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. But in the summer of 2024, after inspecting around 18,000 bee hives over nine winters, it was time for him to retire. His human co-workers threw him a retirement party complete with a charcuterie board, a slide show of photos, and the presentation of a silver star badge saying, “Retired Apiary Inspector.” The Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, Kevin Atticks, attended and even issued Mack a citation for his hard work.
Preston is sure Mack knew all the fuss was in his honor. Although he wanted to eat off the charcuterie board, he had his own treat, a pupcake in the shape of a bone. At first, he only took a gentle nibble, says Preston. “He was kind of shy about it. And I was like, ‘it’s OK.’ And then he just took this monstrous bite right in the center.”
Tukka Takes Over
Mack was actually supposed to stop working earlier. For several years prior, he inspected hives with his canine co-worker “Tukka,” a Springer Spaniel that Preston obtained from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services K-9 Unit. Tukka and Mack would split the hives, each inspecting 2,100 hives a year. But in September 2022, Tukka broke his right elbow in an accident at home. The injury required surgery and four-and-a-half months of rehab. There was no way Tukka would be out in the fields in time to let Mack take it easy.
With age creeping up on him, Preston had planned on letting Mack decide if he wanted to work that winter. But with Tukka out of commission, Preston had no choice but to work with Mack. “I knew at that point his arthritis was getting bad. And that meant getting in and out of the truck on cold mornings. But he happily said he didn’t mind. There was no hesitation at all.”
The following winter, with Tukka back on the job, Preston let Mack choose when he wanted to go to work. He jumped in the truck almost every time. That was until late March 2024, when Preston knew Mack wasn’t in it anymore, and she wasn’t going to make him do anything he didn’t want to do. “I felt like he knew that too, because when he did not want to walk to my van, he went back to the porch. And I said, ‘He doesn’t want to go. I’m not making him go.’ I’d let him stay home. And I think he was kind of mad at me at first, leaving him home. I think he was hoping I was going to stay home with him.”
Proud to Save the Bees
Now Tukka heads to work while Mack is happy to stay home and enjoy his hard-earned retirement. But Preston wants help for Tukka just as Tukka once helped Mack. She recently rescued a Labrador Retriever she’s affectionately named “Princess Lucy Lulu Wigglebutt,” and she’s training her in scent detection with the goal of certifying her for AFB this fall. Then, when 9-year-old Tukka is ready to retire, Lucy should have at least one winter of inspection under her belt.
Mack is 12 now and happy to pass the baton to his younger co-workers. He may no longer be saving the bees, but he’s no less important to Preston. She calls him a sweet, caring soul and fondly remembers how proud he was to do his job. “I know this is a stretch because he is a dog, but I feel like he knew he was doing something very important for the bees.”