Central Ohio Beekeepers Association

Category: Local clubs Also called: COBA; Central Ohio Beekeepers; Central Ohio Beekeepers Association Charitable Foundation (related 501(c)(3)) Last checked: 2026-09-18

What it is

Central Ohio Beekeepers Association (COBA) is a Columbus / Central Ohio beekeeping club whose official home page states it is a non-profit 501(c)(5) organization in the State of Ohio dedicated to promoting bees and beekeeping in Central Ohio: “We are Beekeepers helping other beekeepers.” It runs monthly general meetings, member apiaries, February–March Bee Schools, a First Year Bee Yard, youth and veterans scholarship programs via its Charitable Foundation, and community outreach (e.g. Farm Science Review). It is not a commercial hive-equipment manufacturer and not a university certificate pathway.

Who it’s for

Hobby, sideliner, and new beekeepers (and bee enthusiasts) in the Columbus / Central Ohio area who want 3rd-Wednesday-style general meetings at Franklin Park Conservatory, hands-on apiary nights, Bee School, mentoring at the OSU First Year Bee Yard, and first-party membership dues tiers. Visitors and prospective members join via the official Membership page / portal. Not a drop-in equipment warehouse and not Penn State’s online Beekeeping 101 course.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Local club with a printed Franklin Park Conservatory meeting street address and typical 3rd-Wednesday schedule, annual dues dollar amounts on the official Membership page, and dated 2026 events on the home schedule — not a Facebook-only group and not a scraped directory card.

• Meeting schedule & location (home — checked 2026-09-18): Home page: educational opportunities at monthly meetings “held on the 3rd Wednesday of most months at the Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43205.” Home “COBA Schedule through October 2026” prints Wed. Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 p.m., General Meeting, Franklin Park Conservatory, New Garden Pavilion — Member Appreciation, Board of Trustees Elections. September 2026 schedule lines on the same home list emphasize Farm Science Review (Sep 22–24), First Year Bee Yard pickups/meetings, and member apiary nights rather than a separate mid-September general-meeting card — confirm the live home / calendar before travel for any given month.
• Membership dues (Membership page — checked today): Individual — $15 annual or $30 for three years; Family — $25 annual or $60 for three years. Membership is for the calendar year. Official page offers a membership portal to join, check status, and use a digital membership card; paper application / check option mailed to the COBA Treasurer address printed on that page (Winnie Williams, COBA Treasurer, 5672 Payton Way, Columbus, OH 43235).
• Education & yards (home + Programs — checked today): Bee Schools in February and March (four consecutive Wednesdays for two hours, or two Saturday classes of eight hours) covering beekeeping basics, bee physiology, behavior, and health — home points callers to Claudia at 330-353-2315 for Bee School info. OSU 1st Year Bee Yard at 2501 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (Waterman Farm Complex); Programs page: weekly Wednesdays April–September 2026 season, potluck at 6:00 p.m. Member apiaries include Franklin Park Conservatory, Easton, Scotts Miracle-Gro (Marysville), and others listed on Programs.
• Foundation / scholarships (home — checked today): Central Ohio Beekeepers Association Charitable Foundation (est. 2021, 501(c)(3)) supports Youth Scholarship and Veterans’ Beekeeping School; home 2026 campaign notes support for 10 youth Scholars and 25 Veterans.
• Contact: official site https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/; Leadership / phones on Contact Us (e.g. President Med Lutmerding 614-395-6613). No purchase or outreach was made from Beekeeping Plaza.

Meeting time/place, election/appreciation dates, dues, and yard schedules above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live home, Membership, and Programs pages before treating any figure or venue as fixed.

Official URL

https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/

Membership / dues: https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/membership

Programs (apiaries, Youth Scholars, First Year Bee Yard): https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/programs

Services (speaker requests, swarm list, extractor rental): https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/services

Contact / leadership: https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/contact-us

Location

Regular general-meeting address printed on the home page (checked 2026-09-18): Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43205 — typically 3rd Wednesday of most months; Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Member Appreciation / Board elections at New Garden Pavilion as printed on the home schedule. First Year Bee Yard: 2501 Carmack Road, 43210 (OSU Waterman Farm Complex).

This is a Local club meeting address, not a Foxhound 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 tiers. Not Equipment and not Learning (university pathway).
• $15 Individual / $25 Family (or $30 / $60 three-year) dues, 3rd-Wednesday Franklin Park Conservatory meetings, Oct 21, 2026 Member Appreciation/elections, and 501(c)(5) / Foundation framing are transcribed from official centralohiobeekeepers.org pages checked on 2026-09-18 and may change.
• Optional first-party logo was not saved (site image assets were not cleanly retrievable from this environment on check day).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does COBA meet?
A: Official home (checked 2026-09-18): general meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of most months at Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43205. Home schedule through October 2026 lists Wed Oct 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., New Garden Pavilion — Member Appreciation and Board of Trustees Elections. Confirm https://centralohiobeekeepers.org/ before travel; some months highlight apiary or outreach events instead of a pavilion general meeting.

Q: What are the dues?
A: Membership page (checked 2026-09-18): Individual $15/year or $30 for three years; Family $25/year or $60 for three years; calendar-year membership. Confirm the live Membership page / portal before joining.

Q: Is this an equipment shop or a university course?
A: No. COBA is listed here as Local clubs — a Central Ohio beekeeping association with membership meetings, Bee School, and member apiaries. For hive gear see Equipment listings (e.g. Foxhound Bee Company, Betterbee, Dadant); for Penn State Extension Beekeeping 101 see Learning.