A “tornado” of bees descended on the White House’s North Lawn on Friday afternoon, and thousands of them swarmed near the press corps’ outdoor staging area known as “Pebble Beach” and chased out reporters.
The massive swarm blocked the North Lawn driveway just steps from the West Wing entrance.
“There is a bee tornado happening here at the White House,” Fox News correspondent Alexandria Hoff said while being swarmed.
Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence, who was standing outside when the swarm arrived, estimated there were thousands of bees churning through the air around camera equipment and reporter positions. NewsNation reporter Kellie Meyer said she turned around and left rather than try to make it through the swarm.
“Walked into the White House and a swarm of bees was blocking the driveway,” Meyer posted on X. “Time to turn around.”
The bees held the North Lawn for roughly 20 minutes before relocating to a tree on the grounds and settling into a new hive.
No injuries or stings were reported.
Social media, predictably, did not take the story quietly. Within hours, the videos had gone global and the theories were flying.
Take a look —
Just another plague, nothing to see here folks pic.twitter.com/KY6nF2EXVG
— Hasbro (@Hasbro96547740) May 15, 2026
‘Bee Tornado’ Swarms White House, Sending Press Corps Running for Cover 'Even bees dislike the media.' pic.twitter.com/1IrBLU0Xcs
— DesertGirL #DemocratsareDemons#MAGA (@jlmccullenmcb) May 18, 2026