FILE - First lady Melania Trump arrives for the premiere of her movie, "Melania," at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
Bees fly around a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bees fly through the door of a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bees fly around a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - First lady Melania Trump arrives for the premiere of her movie, "Melania," at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
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Bees fly around a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Bees fly through the door of a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Bees fly around a beehive crafted to look like the White House on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
on Friday announced that she is expanding the White House honey program by adding a beehive in the shape of the White House to two other beehives that have been on the south grounds since 2009.
The existing hives can swell to about 70,000 bees during peak summer months and produce 200 pounds to 225 pounds (91 to 102 kilograms) of honey in a year, the White House said. The new hive could increase honey production by about 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms), according to the White House.
The announcement came just before Britain's King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, were expected to arrive in Washington on a four-day state visit, including an elaborate White House state dinner on Tuesday hosted by President Donald Trump and the first lady.
Charles and Camilla are supporters of beekeeping. The king keeps at least three beehives at Highgrove House, their private residence southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, as part of his support for the environment and sustainability.
The queen is also a bee fan. She is a patron of Bees for Development, a charity that promotes the role of bees in sustainable development worldwide.
The White House uses the clover honey its bees produce to prepare meals, as official gifts from the president and first lady, and in donations to food kitchens.
The bees help pollinate a nearby produce garden that then-first lady started in 2009 and a nearby flower cutting garden, along with vegetation on the ºÃÉ«tv Mall.
The beekeeping program began after a White House carpenter started beekeeping as a hobby on the complex.
The new hive was funded through the Trust for the ºÃÉ«tv Mall, the White House said.
The hive and the base were designed by White House residence staff and handmade by a Virginia artisan.
