White House honey program expands with addition of new beehive on South Lawn
The White House says the new beehive was designed by the White House Executive Residence staff and hand-crafted by a local Virginia artisan. (The White House)
A new beehive crafted by a local artisan in the image of the White House has been installed on the South Lawn, expanding the White House honey program.
Dig deeper:
The White House says the new beehive, designed by the White House Executive Residence staff and hand-crafted by a local Virginia artisan, adds two new bee colonies, doubling the number of colonies that already produce the signature White House honey. With the two new colonies, the White House says annual honey production will increase from 200 to 225 pounds to 230–255 pounds or more in a productive year.
The honey is used by White House chefs to sweeten teas, prepare salad dressings and desserts, given as official gifts from the President and the First Lady, and donated to local food kitchens.
The backstory:
The White House beekeeping was started in 2009 when White House Carpenter, Charlie Brandt, started beekeeping as a hobby on the complex a few years prior and it has since become a tradition on the South Grounds.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by The White House. This story was reported from Orlando.