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COBKA Family Membership is $20 per year
OUR MISSION
The Mission of the Central Oregon Beekeeping Association (COBKA) is to promote effective, economic and successful regional beekeeping through education, collaboration, communication and research in the spirit of friendship.
Becoming a member of the Central Oregon Beekeepers Association brings it's own benefits and rewards. We are a diverse bunch of individuals who share a fascination for the honey bee and its workings. Our members range from full-time beekeepers and pollinators with hundreds of hives to hobbyists involved in backyard beekeeping. Some members do not even keep bees, but are fascinated by the six legs and four wings of Apis mellifera. For more information on our club see the COBKA Administration page.
Club benefits include:
- Monthly Educational Meetings Often Featuring Guest Speakers
- Loaner Honey Extraction Equipment
- Beginner and/or Experienced Classes Annually
- Hands-On Apiary Experiences
- Access to Monthly Advice on Central Oregon's Unique Beekeeping Techniques
- Annual Picnic/Potluck (when possible)
- Beekeeper Camaraderie
Our club provides monthly meetings, usually with an expert in a particular area of beekeeping, or area of interest to beekeepers (either a member who’s an expert in a certain area, or a guest brought in from a university or commercial setting). Along with this, we provide a 30 minute “beginner’s corner” where there will be 1 or more experienced beekeepers both to answer general beekeeping questions, explain terms and concepts to be covered by the speaker during the regular meeting as well, sometimes, as discussing what beekeepers ought to be working on and thinking about during a particular time of year……..all in a nonjudgmental environment where it’s ok and accepted to ask the basic questions. COBKA Meeting Slides Archives Monthly, we provide a “what to do in (month) in the apiary discussion, specific to central Oregon. In the Apiary Archives Most years (COVID put a monkey wrench into this) COBKA also conducts a beginner bee school which, provides newbies with enough information to get started and through the first season with their bees. Also, we try annually to organize an intermediate or advanced seminar where topics of interest especially to more experienced beekeepers are discussed. Finally, we try to have one speaker a year who will present to a mixed (beekeepers and general public) on a topic that may be of general interest (native pollinators, Africanized honey bees, mason bees etc.)
Also along the education vein, you have access to our online forums where you can ask questions of the membership in general (open forum), or of experienced beekeepers (mentor forum), as well as coordinating equipment, bee and queen pickup and delivery or a place to sell stuff. We provide scholarships to people who are working on their Oregon Master Beekeeper qualifications
We try to publicize the more important goings on in the regional beekeeping world. State and regional conferences, honey bee loss polls etc. Events
Finally, we do provide access to extraction equipment and a swarm list.
Almost the most important part, which we’ve been somewhat missing this year, is the opportunity to visit and rub shoulders with a whole variety of other folks whose primary similarity is the interest in honey bees and pollination.
If you have questions about any of these, or suggestions of changes, or new opportunities, please let us know...Members are also invited to peruse our club leadership page and sign up to receive updates from the COBKA BOARD where all of these items and others are discussed and decided on at quarterly meetings.
