Charlie Brandts, a White House carpenter and beekeeper, collected the first batch of honey from the beehives on the South Lawn in june. White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.
by Mark Silva
Apparently, the White House is minding its own bee's wax lately.
In the gardens of the South Lawn, which has hosted a hive of activity since the new first family moved in, working bees are turning out gallons of honey.
The chief horticulturist for the grounds has combed his memory -- which spans four decades on this turf -- and cannot recall any human honey harvesting there.
Washington may not be abuzz with this sweet new development on the grounds where First Lady Michelle Obama has planted a working organic garden, where the president has turned the tennis court into a basketball court and where a beer summit was staged over the summer. And there's no word of concern from the SWAT team that guards the grounds -- no sting operations at this house.
But Dale Haney, White House Horticulturist and Grounds Superintendent, is waxing nostalgic about grounds which lacked, until now, a working beehive.
Haney, whose duties also run to walking the Obama family's dog Bo, just as he has attended to the top dogs since Richard Nixon's days -- was happy to show NBC News' Norah O'Donnell around the gardens on Today this morning. Haney says he believes the hives have turned out 100 gallons of honey so far.
The White House Kitchen Garden, inaugurated in March, covers about 1100 square feet on the west side of the South Lawn and provides produce for the homeless.
John Adams, the first president to occupy the White House, first ordered up a vegetable garden there, planted after he left in March 1801. Thomas Jefferson planted trees, John Quincy Adams the first flower garden. Andrew Jackson opened a hothouse for citrus fruit trees, roses, and camellias and planted more trees -- a towering magnolia still there today is credited to Jackson. The first tennis court went up in 1903. A Rose Garden arrived in 1913. Playground equipment came with the Kennedys, and the Obamas have brought their own. Gerald Ford put in the first outdoor swimming pool, George H.W. Bush a horse-shoe pitch.
Michelle Obama welcomed Sweet Honey in the Rock to the White House in February. And now, Haney reports, the Obama White House is making honey.
Charlie Brandts, a White House carpenter and beekeeper, collected the first batch of honey from the beehives on the South Lawn on June 10.
The birther crowd will be pleased to know they are not African bees. But the next time a queen arrives at the White House, she will have company.
Comments
The Swamp is abuzz over Silva's ability to pun -- even on a Monday morning!
Back to work, drones!
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | October 19, 2009 9:50 AM
Not to nit-pick, but I though the job of walking BO was the two daughters who,like most kids, neglected the duty and the job became Michelle's. Low and behold, the dog is now walked by a gov't employee - Dale Haney.
Posted by: Terry | October 19, 2009 9:55 AM
Glad to see our tax dollars are being put to such good use.
Posted by: Thoreau | October 19, 2009 9:57 AM
Thoreau -- how is this possibly a negative story? Do you think they're producing the honey just for fun and dumping it? No, it's being used and given away.
Terry - the girls can't walk the dog during the day -- they have school. And if you read all of it, Haney has been responsible for all the dogs brought into the White House since Nixon - including GWB's dog Barney.
Posted by: Comments Today | October 19, 2009 10:49 AM
Comments,
I read that he has been walking dogs for about 40 years, that's fine. I don't ever remember any prior administration, democrat or republican, making it a point that a member of the first family was going to walk the dog as the Obama's did. BTW, who do you think has harvested the vegetable garden - Michelle?
Posted by: Terry | October 19, 2009 11:49 AM
100 gallons? About 800 pounds? From one hive? In one season? Might want to check that math as it is highly unlikely. In the northeast, for example, the average is 65 pounds a year.
Posted by: Kim | October 19, 2009 12:59 PM
Yes Terry, this isn't nit-picking at all. This requires further investigation. Send in the crack "journalists" from FOX -- with pooper scoopers.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | October 19, 2009 1:21 PM
KB,
I said it was nit-picking, but the story as part of the reinvention of Michelle was that she would be walking the dog.
As far as who is reporting the story, look no further than the White House fed SWAMP journalist, Mark Silva
Posted by: Terry | October 19, 2009 1:49 PM
Terry -- maybe the reason there were no comments about members of the First Family walking their own dogs is because A) GWB's daughters were older than Obama's when he came into office, B) Chelsea was about 17 or 18 when Buddy came to the White House and C) we didn't have the constant, 24-hr. Internet news cycle that needed filler.
And who cares if it was White House staff that harvested the garden? The produce went to feed the homeless. Think of all those fresh vegetables those people received because of this - veggies they probably would not have otherwise. Do you not understand the compassion behind this?
Posted by: Comments Today | October 19, 2009 3:16 PM
Comments - fact is the White House said that this would be Michelle's garden and her job to walk the dog. She was great for the initial photo op, but goes hitless on the actual work.
Posted by: Terry | October 19, 2009 7:11 PM
T,
And that kid is still flying overhead in a balloon. Stop nit-picking and help him Terry, help him!
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | October 19, 2009 9:06 PM
KB,
Another great example of the MSM getting rolled
Posted by: Terry | October 19, 2009 10:31 PM
Terry Trickle, keeping America safe, one niggle at a time.
Posted by: America the Stupid | October 20, 2009 1:55 PM
'It all started with the strawberries.'
Posted by: Cpn. Terrance Queeg, USN | October 20, 2009 6:26 PM
Yeah, FOX News was all over that hoax.
http://dagblog.com/humor-satire/balloon-hoax-update-everyone-fox-news-prepares-surrender-968
Posted by: C.Morris | October 20, 2009 6:30 PM
I guess Fox is part of the MSM now, eh? Terry Niggles?
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2009/10/21/moos.balloon.fight.cnn
Posted by: America the Stupid | October 21, 2009 4:54 PM