Back Yard Beekeepers Association

Category: Local clubs Also called: BYBA; Backyard Beekeepers Association; Back Yard Beekeepers Association of Southwestern Connecticut Last checked: 2026-09-16

What it is

Back Yard Beekeepers Association (BYBA) is a southwestern Connecticut hobby beekeeping club and 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization. Its official home page describes an association with over 400 members and one of the nation’s largest regional clubs for beekeeping hobbyists, from beginners to multi-year keepers. Home and About copy state the purpose is to provide members with interesting and practical information about honey bees and the how-to’s of beekeeping, and to provide the public with educational programs about honey bees and the benefits of bees and beekeeping in communities. Mission line printed on the home page: provide membership with a forum for sharing knowledge and mutual interests in beekeeping, and educate and promote the benefits of beekeeping to the public. It is not a commercial hive-equipment manufacturer and not a university certificate pathway.

Who it’s for

Hobby and beginning beekeepers (and families) in the Weston / southwestern Connecticut area who want monthly speaker meetings open to the public, member-only workshops and Bee Yard sessions, New Bee Fundamentals / Special Topics Zoom Q&A, Bee School, and club fellowship. Prospective members use the printed Join BYBA / Wild Apricot membership portal. Not a drop-in equipment warehouse and not Cornell’s or UM’s Master Beekeeping pathway.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Local club with a printed Weston meeting street address and monthly schedule, dated 2026 meeting and workshop calendars, and printed annual membership dues dollar amounts — not a Facebook-only group and not a scraped directory card.

• Meeting schedule & location (Home / Calendar of Events / How to Join — checked 2026-09-16): general membership meetings on the last Tuesday of most months at the Norfield Church / Norfield Church Community Room, 64 Norfield Rd, Weston, CT 06883. Calendar page: meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. for socializing; speaker presentations begin at 7:30 p.m. Home and Join pages also print 7:30 p.m. for general meetings. Calendar states these monthly meetings are free and open to the public. No meeting in August; July 29 2026 marked as no club meeting (Eastern Apiculture Society Conference).
• 2026 monthly meeting dates of record (Calendar of Events — checked today): Feb 24 (James Nieh); Mar 31 (David Wade); Apr 29 (Jon Zawislak); May 26 (Theresa Martin); Jun 30 (Annual Pot Luck Supper & Silent Auction); Jul 29 (no meeting — EAS); no August meeting; Sep 29 (TBD; home page also promotes Dr. Jordan Kueneman / ground-nesting bees for the September meeting); Oct 27 (TBD); Nov 24 (Melanie Kirby).
• New Bee Fundamentals / Special Topics (Calendar / Home — checked today): virtual on the 3rd Tuesday; Fundamentals 6:30–7:30 p.m., Special Topics 7:30–8:30 p.m.; membership benefit; 2026 dates printed include 2/17, 3/17, 4/21, 5/19, 6/16, 7/21, 8/18, 9/15, 10/20, 11/17 (not held in December or January). Home page of check day also featured Tuesday, September 15 New Bee Fundamentals/Special Topics and a Saturday, September 12 member-only Hive Inspection – Winter Preparation workshop at the BYBA Bee Yard.
• Membership dues (Bee School page — checked today): $30/year for individuals; $40/year for families. Same page: Bee School is $30 for BYBA members; BYBA membership required to register; join-now copy states membership valid through December 2026. Join page directs new/renewing members to the Membership Management Portal (Wild Apricot: byba.wildapricot.org). Wild Apricot footer/contact line also prints mailing address P.O. Box 335, Redding Ridge, CT 06876.
• Organization (Home / About — checked today): 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization; over 400 members; workshops described as exclusive benefits for members and their guests; Bee School and Wannabees kids’ programming appear on official pages.

Meeting time/place, speaker dates, dues, and workshop status above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live Calendar of Events, Bee School, and Join pages before treating any figure or venue as fixed.

Official URL

https://backyardbeekeepers.com/

Calendar of Events (Meetings & Workshops): https://backyardbeekeepers.com/calendar-of-events/

How to Join: https://backyardbeekeepers.com/how-to-join/

Bee School (dues & Bee School fee): https://backyardbeekeepers.com/bee-school/

About BYBA: https://backyardbeekeepers.com/about-byba/

Members portal (Wild Apricot): https://byba.wildapricot.org/

Join / new membership (Wild Apricot): https://byba.wildapricot.org/sys/website/?pageId=7743

Location

Regular meeting address printed on Home, Calendar, and Join pages (checked 2026-09-16): Norfield Church / Norfield Church Community Room, 64 Norfield Rd, Weston, CT 06883. Last Tuesday of most months; socializing from 7:00 p.m., speakers at 7:30 p.m. (per Calendar). Club mailing address on Wild Apricot: P.O. Box 335, Redding Ridge, CT 06876.

This is a Local club meeting address, not a Mann Lake retail counter and not a university online classroom.

Notes

• Category is Local clubs. First-party regional hobby beekeeping association with printed meeting schedule/location and annual dues. Not Equipment and not Learning (university pathway).
• $30/year individual and $40/year family dues, last-Tuesday / 7:00–7:30 p.m. Norfield meetings, 2026 speaker calendar, Bee School $30 for members, 501(c)(3) status, and 400+ member claim are transcribed from official backyardbeekeepers.com pages checked on 2026-09-16 and may change.
• First-party logo saved beside this listing as back-yard-beekeepers-association.png (from backyardbeekeepers.com uploads BYBA_Logo_2023_WhiteBG.png).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does BYBA meet?
A: Official Home and Calendar pages (checked 2026-09-16): last Tuesday of most months at Norfield Church, 64 Norfield Rd, Weston, CT 06883. Calendar: doors/socializing 7:00 p.m., speakers 7:30 p.m.; monthly meetings free and open to the public. No August meeting; confirm https://backyardbeekeepers.com/calendar-of-events/ before travel.

Q: What are the dues?
A: Bee School page (checked 2026-09-16): $30/year for individuals; $40/year for families. Join via the Membership Management Portal linked from How to Join. Confirm the live Bee School / Join pages before joining.

Q: Is this an equipment shop or a university course?
A: No. BYBA is listed here as Local clubs — a 501(c)(3) hobby beekeeping association with monthly meetings and club programs. For hive gear see Equipment listings (e.g. Mann Lake, Dadant); for Cornell’s Master Beekeeping Program see Learning.