# Do You Think The White House Has (or ever has had) Vermin? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858 "2012-07-20T15:07:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/21 "2012-07-20T17:14:55Z")
Common sense says that it has and probably still does. How could it not? Have you ever lived anywhere where you didn’t at least see an occasional spider? I imagine they have a pest company come in and treat the place on a regular basis, or maybe the military or the Parks Department have a pest control unit of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/22 "2012-07-20T17:16:34Z")
Doesn’t the CIA or NSA regularly sweep the place for bugs? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/23 "2012-07-20T17:41:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think they’re allowed in IMHO. Come to that, I’m not sure why the thread is in IMHO to begin with. It’s a question with factual answers available, more suitable to GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/24 "2012-07-20T17:42:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Doesn’t the CIA or NSA regularly sweep the place for bugs? Win. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/25 "2012-07-20T18:07:56Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > You need to know about the not-entirely-serious position of [Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Mouser_to_the_Cabinet_Office) in Britain. > . Incumbent: larry 😕:dubious::eek::D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/26 "2012-07-21T01:55:55Z")
heavens, yes, there were reports of rats in the pool area before it was covered over. being south of the mason dixon i would bet on it having serious bugs as well. i’m sure there is extermination and careful checking for termites. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/27 "2012-07-21T02:14:23Z")
Wasn’t the whole town famously built on a malarial swamp? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/28 "2012-07-21T13:42:14Z")
I recently read “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” and the descriptions of the condition on the White House at this time were pretty unpleasant- drafty, damp, moldy, vermin infested, etc. [http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Republic-Madness-Medicine-President/dp/0385526261](http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Republic-Madness-Medicine-President/dp/0385526261) I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mix of history, medicine and politics. When my sis gave me the book, I thought “That’s a boring title. Probably won’t like it.” But it was a great read that I recommended to many. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/29 "2012-07-21T22:51:12Z")
Paul Slansky’s book about the Reagan '80s, _The Clothes Have No Emperor_, quotes Nancy Reagan’s chief of staff complaining about having to have mousetraps in his office in January 1981. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/30 "2012-07-21T23:02:40Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Wasn’t the whole town famously built on a malarial swamp? District. And yes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/31 "2012-07-21T23:07:59Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Incumbent: larry That explains what Larry was doing. But what was Ed’s job? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/32 "2012-07-22T00:15:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Vermin in the White House? Sure. Richard Nixon comes to mind. Presidents, by definition, are not vermin. I’m thinking Bob Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, Jody Powell, Oliver North, George Stephanopolis, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/33 "2012-07-22T00:22:49Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Presidents, by definition, are not vermin. Whose dictionary is _that_ in? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/34 "2012-07-22T00:40:02Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The White House as it is today is fairly new in most senses and only dates to the Truman administration from the early 1950’s. After the Great Depression and WWII, it had serious structural and deterioration issues and had to be [almost completely destroyed internally and rebuilt from the inside out.](http://www.visualnews.com/2011/08/26/harry-trumans-white-house-renovation/). Only the outer brick shell is partly original and that only counts if you don’t include other rebuildings such as when it was burned during the War of 1812 or the various additions that were later added and sometimes later removed. Once you know that, it makes some of its ‘historical’ features such as the Lincoln bedroom seem like fraud. > > What I am saying is that the White House has had many different forms over the years and was allowed to become quite decrepit at times especially during the 1800’s and from the Great Depression to WWII. I am sure it is mostly spotless today but there is plenty of food around and that is enough to attract vermin anywhere. They aren’t scared of the Secret Service and can get through any opening whatsoever. Quite right-in fact, President Truman, his wife and daughter lived in Blair House while the WH was under renovation. This leads to another question: Jackie Kennedy spend a vast amount of taxpayer money renovating/redecorating the WH in 1960-61. Why was that necessary (in view of the Truman era reconstruction)? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/35 "2012-07-22T01:42:54Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Quite right-in fact, President Truman, his wife and daughter lived in Blair House while the WH was under renovation. This leads to another question: Jackie Kennedy spend a vast amount of taxpayer money renovating/redecorating the WH in 1960-61. Why was that necessary (in view of the Truman era reconstruction)? 1961-63 actually. There’s a good piece on that [here](http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/renovation-1961.htm). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858/36 "2012-07-22T01:54:08Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Wasn’t the whole town famously built on a malarial swamp? “The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago, and very little has changed. It stank then, and it stinks now.” -Lisa Simpson [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-the-white-house-has-or-ever-has-had-vermin/628858.md?page=1)