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First lady Melania Trump on Friday announced a sweet new addition to the South Lawn, expanding the White House honey program with a newly installed and fully functioning beehive modeled after the executive mansion.
An official video released by the Office of the First Lady showcased the expanded setup — designed by the White House Executive Residence staff — buzzing with a large amount of bees.
The queen-worthy new hive, hand-crafted by a local Virginia artisan in the image of the White House, will add two new bee colonies to the property’s existing two.
The White House said the new hive will allow for the addition of two new colonies. (White House Office of the First Lady)
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The expansion is expected to boost annual honey production by an estimated 30 pounds, allowing for even greater use in preparing White House culinary dishes, serving as official gifts from the president and the first lady, and supporting charitable donations of healthy foods to local food kitchens, according to the Office of the First Lady.
Funded through the Trust for the National Mall, the installation will support the existing colonies in pollinating the nearby White House Kitchen Garden, Flower Cutting Garden and vegetation on the National Mall.
A worker sprays gas on the replica Executive Mansion hive. (White House Office of the First Lady)
It will also serve as an educational feature, offering potential opportunities for visitors on the South Lawn to get a closer look at a working colony and learn about pollination and food production firsthand.
The White House beekeeping program started in 2009 after a White House carpenter, Charlie Brandt, started keeping bees on the complex as a hobby a few years prior.
White House honey is used in culinary dishes and handed out by the president and first lady as gifts. (White House Office of the First Lady)
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The Office of the First Lady said the hobby has since become “a lasting tradition.”