Root River Honey

05/11/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Hope you had a great day!

05/07/2026

Love the design. My nine hives are boring!

First Lady Melania Trump Unveils New Beehive on South Lawn

First Lady Melania Trump announced the expansion of the White House honey program with the addition of a newly installed and fully functioning beehive on the South Lawn. Hand-crafted by a local artisan in the image of the White House, the beautiful, new hive will add two new bee colonies to the existing two colonies that already produce the signature White House honey.

The new hive is expected to increase annual honey production by an estimated 30 pounds, allowing for even greater use in preparing White House culinary dishes, serving as official gifts from the President and the First Lady, and supporting charitable donations of healthy foods to local food kitchens.

The installation will support the existing colonies in pollinating the nearby White House Kitchen Garden, Flower Cutting Garden, and vegetation on the National Mall. It will also serve as an educational feature, offering potential opportunities for visitors on the South Lawn to get a closer look at a working colony and learn about pollination and food production firsthand.

To continue reading and to see the official video by the Office of the First Lady featuring the expanded beehive, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/04/first-lady-melania-trump-unveils-new-beehive-on-south-lawn/

This information was originally published by The White House, Official White House Photo, Andrea Hanks

05/03/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DX27jJ-julI/?igsh=b29zbWFjcmV2N2Vt

04/26/2026

Beautiful Pollen colors coming into the hives!

04/14/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HsDknUMBM/

Have you eaten your honey today?? 🍯

Not only is honey delicious, but it's also good for you.

From helping soothe seasonal allergies and sore throats to providing essential vitamins and minerals, honey is a guilt-free treat.

So go ahead and drizzle some on your toast, over your yogurt, or into your tea. Heck, enjoy it by the spoonful. It's health food, after all! 😉

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03/04/2026

This is a good sign for my husband and my son who turkey hunt. This is also a good sign for me because it’s a sign that the mortuary bees are taking out the dead and the turkeys are feasting!! Hives are alive! Glad it’s finally warm enough to get the girls to clean up! On the other hand if they don’t eat the dead bees and they’re looking for fresh bees not good!

03/04/2026

Hello winter bees you’re doing great! The candy board worked well and I just gave you a couple Pollen patties! It’s official it’s Spring ladies!! 😂. Lost one hive so far crossing fingers!

01/25/2026

Great information during this cold snap! Stay warm! Hoping all our bees are tucked into a cluster. They are wrapped with insulation and topped with a hot box!

We've had a lot of inquiries about the bees and this freeze. Let me try to explain how the bees survive winter weather.

When it gets cold, honey bees form a tight “winter cluster” around the queen and the brood area (if any). Think of it like a living, breathing insulation ball:
Outer bees = insulation jacket. Bees on the outside pack closely together to reduce heat loss and block drafts. They’re cooler and more still, acting like the “shell” of the cluster.
Inner bees = heaters. Bees in the center generate heat by vibrating their flight muscles (the same muscles used for flying), but they don’t flap their wings this “shivering” turns food energy (honey) into warmth.
They rotate to share the job. Bees take turns outer bees gradually move inward to warm up, and warmer bees move outward to replace them. This slow, constant rotation prevents the outside bees from getting dangerously cold.
The cluster adjusts like a thermostat. When it’s colder, the cluster tightens to conserve heat. When it warms up a bit, it loosens so bees can move to nearby honey stores and ventilate.

01/15/2026

Used a stethoscope to figure out if some of the bees were still clustered at a 45° this week. Many of the hives had bees out buzzing. The winter bees don’t get out much so this was a treat for them to fly out. Feel the sun and go to the bathroom. My assistant Scout decided that since they were flying, she would stay back without a suit. The reason I didn’t open the hives in 45° weather is it was going to be a low of -6 in the next few days and did not want to disrupt them so the stethoscope is a good tool to use to hear if a dead out or not if they’re not out.
We have some good numbers with ones that are alive this year. Praying for more mild temps and not huge temperature shifts in the next two months.

12/31/2025

Happy New Year from our honey bees to you!