Melania Trump adds White House-shaped beehive to South Lawn

Washington — It’s a buzzzzy time at the White House. First lady Melania Trump added a new, fully functioning beehive in the shape of the White House to the South Lawn grounds, the White House announced Friday, expanding the existing honey production and beekeeping program at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

The new hive will add two new bee colonies to the two current existing colonies producing honey, the White House says, with thousands of bees increasing honey production by about 30 pounds a year. Currently, bees on the property are producing about 200 or more pounds of honey in a productive year. The honey is used in White House kitchens as well as for donations to local food kitchens. 

The White House executive residence staff designed the hive and its base, which was hand-crafted by a local Virginia artisan, the White House says. The Trust for the National Mall, the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, is funding the beekeeping program’s expansion. 

The White House’s beekeeping program officially began in 2009, during the Obama administration, although the White House’s carpenter started to beekeeping as a hobby on the grounds a few years before that, the White House says. During the peak summer months, the current hive populations have about 70,000 bees.