become a member

The Sonoma County Beekeepers Association is the largest community beekeeping organization on the west coast. We have been around for over twenty-five years and have the collective experience and knowledge of hundreds of beekeepers.

Each year we plant thousands of pollinator-friendly flowering plants, catch and safely relocate hundreds of swarms to new hives, and deliver hundreds of educational presentations to our community. This is accomplished through the effort of our amazing members who volunteer their time to the association.

membership benefits

Your dues pay for the operations of our association, including facilities, insurance, event costs, speaker presentations, and supplies. In addition, you get the following:

Membership/Internal--- your membership gives you access to the following:

Monthly general meetings with educational and networking opportunities
Monthly educational forums for new and seasoned beekeepers
Local cluster support (our county is broken up into 5 smaller groups(clusters) - Central, East, North, South, West). Clusters provide support through meetings with presentations and workshops, mentoring and advice and focus on the microclimates within those regions
Multiple hands on educational opportunities including hive dives and workshops
Annual picnic
Annual holiday party
The SCBA library with educational books and DVDs available to borrow
Our monthly newsletter The Extractor
Volunteer, Outreach, and Leadership opportunities (board, admin, education, gardening)

Community/External--- your membership dues provide the community with the following benefits:

Supporting/installing local pollinator habitat
Educational outreach into schools, Libraries, events, and other organizations
Interacting and cooperating with other organizations
Raising awareness about the needs of honey bees, native bees, and other pollinators

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

Worker Bee Membership: $100/year

This basic membership level is essential as it helps us pay our ongoing administrative costs such as facilities, insurance, event costs, staff, speaker costs, and supplies.

Membership Benefits Include:

10 general membership meetings
Subscription to The Extractor
Invitation to the annual picnic and holiday party
Access to the SCBA library
Regular regional cluster meetings
Ongoing educational forums for both beginners and seasoned beekeepers
Hive-dives, garden digs, and beekeeping workshops
Propagation workshops and discounted pollinator-friendly flowering plants
Access to our private Facebook groups
A culture of mentorship and support

Queen Bee Membership: $250/year

This membership allows for growth within our programs and for us to develop, expand and reach out into our community. Queen bees help fund our Beekeeping and Gardening Programs. Our Queen Bees are essential in allowing us the ability to create pollinator habits outside of SCBA and within our community at community and school gardens. Thereby our Queen Bees are improving the quality of life for our bees in Sonoma County beyond our local beekeepers and their gardens!

Membership includes:

(in addition to the Worker Bee membership)

Ongoing recognition on our website
Discounts to events and workshops with fees attached (in development)
Gift of stickers, coupons for SCBA plants
Potential for coupons for local beekeeping and nursery businesses (in development)

Local Beekeeper and Nursery Business Membership: $300/year

Our Sonoma County beekeepers and gardeners require local business to help us develop our craft and care for our bees. We wish to honor these local businesses with a special membership category of their own! Please note that this membership category is reserved only for local businesses that directly provide beekeeping supplies/services or nurseries.

Membership includes:

(in addition to the Queen Bee membership)

Monthly mentions in our newsletter The Extractor
Ongoing link on our website
Mentions on our social media accounts which have over a thousand followers
SCBA sign for display in local business
With an in-kind donation, for events and raffles, potential to receive credit up to 50% for renewal

Students: FREE

Free membership for all students – High School, Junior College, University.

Fill out the application
Email a copy of your Student ID to membership@sonomabees.org

We never turn anyone away for lack of funds.

If you wish to be a member, but cannot afford the dues due to financial hardship, email membership@sonomabees.org

Thank you for your interest and support!

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