Dear Recycle Lady,
What do bee-sniffing dogs do? I read that Mack, a famous bee-sniffing dog, was retiring. Curious
Dear Curious,
According to earthisland.org, bee sniffing dogs assist apiary inspectors (someone who checks the health of beehives) by moving from one beehive to the next and sniffing for the distinct odor of dead fish that is associated with the deadly disease for bee colonies called Foulbrood (AFB). Foulbrood is a bacterium that doesn’t hurt humans but can kill an entire beehive and then spread to other hives if not caught. When the dog detects this odor, he sits by the beehive, indicating that inspection of that hive is needed. Once identified as infected, the hive is either isolated or destroyed. These dogs are on the front lines when it comes to securing our country’s food supply since honeybees pollinate about one-third of the crops in the United States. Fruits, nuts, and veggies, which comprise 70 of the top 100 human food crops, are all pollinated by bees. One healthy beehive can contain about 20,000 to 30,000 bees in the fall and winter, and closer to 60,000 in the summer. In 2025, there were approximately 2.63 million colonies in the US. An enterprising apiary inspector trained her yellow lab, Mack, to sniff out a honeybee population for American Foulbrood. As a bee-sniffing dog for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Mack once inspected more than 1,600 bee colonies over a period of three weeks and correctly identified 100% of the infected hives. Human inspectors would take about a year to work on that many colonies, says Cybil Preston, a Maryland beekeeper who works as an apiary inspector. In 2017, Mack and his owner, Cybil Preston, received the Customer Service Heroes Award from the governor of Maryland. Mack has now retired after nine years of bee sniffing, but fortunately, there are several dogs trained to take over his bee sniffing job.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Why does the Recycle Center accept only bottles and jugs? Must laundry detergent bottles be rinsed out before recycling? Wants to Recycle More Plastics
Dear Wants to Recycle More Plastics,
The big reason the Recycle Center only accepts #1 and #2 bottles and jugs is that our buyers will only buy bottles and jugs. Any other plastics collected would be sent to the landfill as there is presently no market for them. Yes, laundry detergent bottles need to be rinsed out before placing them in the recycling bin. ( Readers, any ideas you could share on uses for the soapy rinse water?) According to www.treehuggar.com, only 30% of the one billion laundry jugs that are used in the U.S. yearly are recycled. Thus, more than 700,000,000 plastic laundry jugs end up in landfills, rivers, and oceans every year! Fortunately, several alternative greener types of detergents and packaging are becoming available. Eco-friendly laundry soaps can now be found in the form of eco-strips, flakes, and powder. Also, a home-made powder laundry detergent can be made with a grated bar of soap, a cup of borax, and a cup of washing soda.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Why is the pesticide chlorpyrifos considered so dangerous? Concerned About Pesticides
Dear Concerned About Pesticides,
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate that, according to www.epa.gov, is used to control foliage and soil-borne insect pests. It was developed by the Nazis for chemical warfare and later adapted for use as a commercial pesticide. It was banned by the EPA in 2021, but a federal court overturned this ban in 2023. According to Friends of the Earth, chlorpyrifos is highly toxic and can cause brain damage to children. It has been banned in the European Union and Canada and in several US states – California, New York, Maryland, and Hawaii. Chlorpyrifos is also highly toxic to bees and other pollinators and may threaten their survival. Corteva, the primary manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, discontinued its production in 2020. However, Chlorpyrifos is currently an ingredient in three other brands of weed killers: Martin’s Eraser, Groven, and Hatchet. All three of these pesticides are available locally. So, be sure to carefully check ingredients whenever purchasing a weed killer. Fortunately, there are effective alternatives for pest management that are safer for children, farm workers, rural communities, and the environment. Washing and scrubbing fresh fruits and vegetables in a solution of baking soda and water will help remove traces of bacteria, dirt and chemicals. Purchasing certified organic produce will eliminate the risk of pesticide residues altogether.
Have questions about recycling or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
