Experiences

Buzzing for Bee Medicine! - Submitted by Heather Sayles, Michigan State University

During the honey bee medicine rotation at MSU run by Dr. Meghan Milbrath, I realized that sometimes the smallest patients have the most to teach us. Millions of honey bees spread between dozens of hives call MSU’s Pollinator Performance Center home. It was here that I gained such an appreciation for the importance of bees in the ecosystem and the intricate dynamics of a hive. We delved deep into the intersection of animal health, agriculture, and environmental stewardship. We even got a chance to watch Maple (pictured), a retired police K9 who found a second career in hive inspections, in action! She has been trained to sniff out a deadly disease in honey bee colonies called American foulbrood as part of ongoing research at the facility.

We spent several days off-campus in our local community, working with apiarists managing both small and large operations to assess colony health, diagnose and treat common diseases, perform mite washes, and develop management plans to support hive productivity and survival. We rounded off our 3 weeks with a series of lectures about the business aspect of honey bee medicine, a visit to a beekeeping supply company, and a hands-on bee anatomy lab.

The rotation emphasized the role of bees as vital indicators of ecosystem health, while also highlighting the complexities of balancing disease control, biosecurity, and sustainable beekeeping practices. This experience strengthened my diagnostic skills, broadened my perspective on non-traditional veterinary medicine, and reinforced the importance of pollinators in both food systems and public health. 

Everyone talks about saving the bees, but as veterinarians, we’re able to use our expertise to actually take action to promote healthy hives. Trained veterinarians are necessary to provide critical access to antimicrobials that can save colonies from treatable conditions. 

I had an un-bee-lievable time learning about this niche area of medicine, and I’ll be taking what I’ve learned throughout this experience to establish my own honey bee medicine practice in the future to meet the needs of the industry.