Central Iowa Beekeepers Association

Category: Local clubs Also called: CIBA; Central Iowa Beekeepers; centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org; ciba.buzz Last checked: 2026-09-30

What it is

The Central Iowa Beekeepers Association (CIBA) is a first-party local beekeeping club serving central Iowa / greater Des Moines. Its official site (centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org) publishes meeting venues and dated 2026 meeting cards, membership dues, a mission statement, newsletters, and outreach programs. Official home copy says CIBA has been “promoting beekeeping and honey bees since 1947” and serves beekeepers “no matter the stage of their beekeeping journey.” The About / Us page mission is “To advance the art of beekeeping and honey production” and “To promote close coordination, cooperation and fellowship among members.” Membership copy states CIBA is “an Iowa nonprofit corporation and a Federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization.” It is not a commercial hive-equipment shop and not a university certificate pathway.

Who it’s for

New and experienced hobby beekeepers in central Iowa who want in-person Saturday afternoon meetings at Northridge Baptist Church in Des Moines, field day / winter seminar events, the BEELINE newsletter, and club fellowship for printed first-party dues of $15 single / $20 family per calendar year (Membership page also printed a half-price promo of $7.50 / $10 for emailed-communications memberships on the check date). Official September and November 2026 meeting pages invite visitors: “You do not need to be a CIBA member to attend.” Not a drop-in equipment warehouse and not a university certification course.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Local club with a named Des Moines meeting venue and street address, printed dollar dues on the official Membership page, dated 2026 meeting cards (September 19; November 21), a 1947 founding claim, 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and public Membership Secretary contact (not a private home listing). It is not a Facebook-only group and not a scraped directory card.

• Meeting schedule & venue (home + September / November 2026 meeting pages, checked 2026-09-30): home copy: “CIBA meets 6 times annually, the third Saturday every other month at 1 PM.” Dated cards: Fall Meeting — Saturday, September 19, 2026, 1 p.m., and Winter Meeting — Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1 p.m., both at Northridge Baptist Church, 3700 6th Avenue, Des Moines. Parking note on meeting pages: park on Clinton Avenue and enter by the alley door with the wheelchair ramp. Home also notes a full-day Winter Seminar in March, an Auction in April, and a July field day. Us / About page lists meeting months as January, March, May, July, October, and November at 1:00 p.m. in greater Des Moines—confirm the live calendar when a home card and the Us month list disagree (home printed a September 2026 Fall Meeting card on the check date).
• Membership dues (Membership page, checked 2026-09-30): calendar year January 1–December 31. Printed tiers: $15 (Now $7.50) single membership, emailed communications only; $20 (Now $10) family membership, emailed communications only. “New Student Beekeeper: Dues are waived if taking a beekeeping class this year” (list instructor/location on the form). Membership Secretary contact printed on the same page: [email protected] or 515.556.6637 (Cindy Spiker). Home notes that joining includes free admission to the CIBA Winter Seminar.
• Education & outreach (home + November 2026 meeting + Us pages, checked 2026-09-30): BEELINE newsletter four times a year; presidential Newscast and Bee Bits emails for electronic members; Bees & Beyond second-grade pollinator classroom program (November 21, 2026 meeting features a Bees & Beyond demo and Jeopardy); Honey Queen / Ambassador program; mentoring; annual equipment auction. Home membership count line: “With over 235 members” (Us page still says “over 100 members”—cite the page you are reading; both can change).

Meeting cadence, venue, dues, event dates, and member-count lines above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm the live Membership and meeting pages before treating any date, venue, or fee as fixed.

Official URL

https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/

Membership / dues: https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/membership

About / Us (mission, 1947, governance): https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/us

Meeting September 2026: https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/meeting-september-2026

Meeting November 2026: https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/meeting-november-2026

Location

Primary meeting venue named on the official September and November 2026 meeting pages (checked 2026-09-30): Northridge Baptist Church, 3700 6th Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, 1:00 p.m. on the dated Saturday cards. Park on Clinton Avenue; enter by the alley door with the wheelchair ramp. Check the live home or meeting page before you go; field day, auction, and seminar events may use other central Iowa venues.

This is a Local club meeting address, not an Equipment retail counter and not a university Extension classroom.

Notes

• Category is Local clubs. CIBA is a first-party central Iowa beekeeping association with a printed meeting venue, annual dues, and dated 2026 meeting cards. It is not Equipment, and it is not Learning in the university-pathway sense: the club runs seminars, field days, and Bees & Beyond outreach, but CIBA itself is the membership club. It is distinct from the clubs already listed (Collin County, Back Yard, Alamo Area, Central Ohio, Metro Atlanta, Puget Sound, Tri-County, Cabarrus County, Minnesota Hobby, Northeastern Kansas, Southern California / BASC).
• The $15 / $20 dues (and printed $7.50 / $10 promo), Jan–Dec membership year, student-dues waiver, Northridge Baptist Church venue, Sept 19 and Nov 21 2026 cards, 1947 founding copy, 501(c)(3) claim, Bees & Beyond program, and Membership Secretary contact are transcribed from official centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org pages checked on 2026-09-30 and may change. Home “over 235 members” vs Us “over 100 members,” and Us month list (Oct) vs home September Fall Meeting card, are page-to-page inconsistencies on the check date—do not invent a single reconciled calendar from them; use the live dated card. No purchase or membership signup was made from Beekeeping Plaza.
• First-party logo / brand mark saved beside this listing as central-iowa-beekeepers.png (from the official Wix site favicon/brand asset 316ebc_e4d9caa56cef4f68adaeb6e92f2b4f5f~mv2.png, unedited).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does CIBA meet?
A: Official September / November 2026 meeting pages (checked 2026-09-30): Saturday, September 19, 2026, 1 p.m., and Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1 p.m., at Northridge Baptist Church, 3700 6th Avenue, Des Moines. Home copy says six meetings a year on the third Saturday of every other month at 1 p.m. Visitors may attend. Confirm https://www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org/ before you travel.

Q: What are the dues?
A: Official Membership page (checked 2026-09-30): $15 single / $20 family per calendar year (January–December), with a printed promo of $7.50 / $10 for emailed-communications memberships on the check date. Student beekeepers taking a class this year may have dues waived. Confirm the live page before paying.

Q: Is this an equipment shop or a university course?
A: No. CIBA is listed here as Local clubs: a volunteer-run central Iowa beekeeping association with meetings, dues, newsletters, and outreach. For hive gear see Equipment listings (e.g. Premier Bee Products, Beez Needz). For a university class pathway see Learning (e.g. Rutgers Bee-ginner’s Beekeeping, UMN Beekeeping in Northern Climates Online).