White House Bees Swarm North Lawn After New Colonies Added

Thousands of white house bees swarmed the White House North Lawn on Friday, first appearing as black dots near the press corps’ Pebble Beach media area before they were identified as bees. About 20 minutes later, they moved into a hive on a tree on the North Lawn.

Melania Trump’s South Lawn hive

Weeks before the swarm, first lady Melania Trump had added two new bee colonies to the executive mansion grounds. The White House property already had two existing colonies before the addition, and she had unveiled a new replica White House beehive on the South Lawn on April 24, 2026.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla toured the expanded hive during their state visit, and White House honey was served in dishes at the state dinner. The new hive was funded through the Trust for the National Mall and was presented as part of White House beekeeping and honey production.

Bee downtown and honey output

Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, the CEO of Bee Downtown, was part of the White House beekeeping project tied to the new hive. The colony expansion was expected to boost annual honey production by an estimated 30 pounds, with the colony able to grow to roughly 70,000 bees in peak summer months and produce up to 225 pounds of honey annually.

The swarm came after the new colonies had already been added to the grounds, and the source says it is unclear what led to the bees gathering over the North Lawn. For now, the practical change for anyone following the White House beekeeping project is simple: the grounds now support more colonies, more honey production, and a larger bee population moving through the same space where the swarm appeared.