Melania Trump 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 of honey in a year, the White House said. The new hive could increase honey production by about 30 pounds, according to the White House.
The White House uses the clover honey 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 Michelle Obama started in 2009 and a nearby flower cutting garden, along with vegetation on the National Mall.
The beekeeping program began in 2009 after a White House carpenter started beekeeping as a hobby on the complex.
The new hive was funded through the Trust for the National Mall, the White House said.
The hive and the base were designed by White House residence staff and handmade by a Virginia artisan.
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