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WASHINGTON — It was a real buzz kill.
A massive swarm of bees overtook the White House grounds Friday for reasons that are not entirely clear, bombarding the press corps around the North Lawn.
Reporters who frequent the so-called “Pebble Beach” media area to shoot live shots took cover as the swarm buzzed around them for about 20 minutes.
“Walked into the White House and a swarm of bees was blocking the driveway,” NewsNation reporter Kellie Meyer posted on X. “Time to turn around.”
Fox News correspondent Alexandria Hoff wrote, “There is a bee tornado happening here at the White House.”
Viral video showed thousands of tiny black dots buzzing around in a chaotic fashion. Eventually, many of the bees converged on a nearby tree that is home to a huge hive.
There were no indications of anyone getting stung during the freak bee deluge.
While the cause of the swarming was not clear, a few weeks ago, first lady Melania Trump unveiled an expansion of the White House’s beekeeping program.
The first lady added a new custom-made beehive featuring two more colonies. The addition is expected to increase the White House’s annual honey output by about 30 pounds.
Before that addition, the bee population at the White House swelled to about 70,000 bees, according to the White House.
The formal beekeeping program began during the Obama administration in 2009, though a carpenter in the White House supposedly began beekeeping there a few years before.
The first lady touted the beekeeping program during a trip by Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to DC last month.
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