Paseo del Norte Beekeepers Association — Las Cruces, NM / El Paso, TX local clubs

Category: Local clubs Also called: PDNBKA; Paseo del Norte Beekeepers; Paseo del Norte Beekeepers Association, Inc.; PDN Beekeepers (Las Cruces / El Paso) Last checked: 2026-10-09

What it is

Paseo del Norte Beekeepers Association (PDNBKA) is a first-party beekeeping club serving Southern New Mexico and Far West Texas, with monthly meetings that alternate between Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Its About Us page says it was “Founded in 2014 by Michael Duchoquette and Bob Reneau” and is “one of the largest regional clubs serving both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers in El Paso, TX and Southern New Mexico,” with “a strong emphasis on local mentorship.” Its bylaws describe a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Paseo del Norte Beekeepers Association, Inc., representing Southern New Mexico and El Paso County, Texas. The club runs monthly meetings, a members’ urban teaching apiary, a multi-week beginner course and a short intro class, a bee-removal referral service, and hosts Texas Master Beekeeper Program exams in El Paso. It is not a commercial hive-equipment shop and not a university certificate pathway.

Who it’s for

New and experienced beekeepers — and anyone curious about bees — in the Las Cruces / Doña Ana County and El Paso areas. The Meetings page says “Visitors and new beekeepers are always welcome!” The Join page says membership “is open to anyone interested in bees and beekeeping—whether you own a hive or simply have a passion for learning.” Annual dues are $30 per year (calendar year). The club lists its area as “Deming, Doña Ana to Las Cruces, NM” and “El Paso to Fabens, TX.” Not a drop-in equipment store and not an online university course.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Local club. Its official pages print a fixed monthly meeting rule with venues for both cities, annual dues, adopted bylaws (December 11, 2025), named officers and committees, and dated 2026 events. It is not a Facebook-only group and not a scraped directory card.

Meetings (Events & Meetings page — checked 2026-10-09): the club meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. Las Cruces meetings are in February, April, June, August, October and December at the Fabian Garcia Research Center, 113 W. University Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88005 (Building 158, next to the Chili Pepper Institute; use the back entrance at 500 W. College Ave. if University Ave. construction is ongoing). El Paso meetings are in January, March, May, July, September and November at The Mustard Seed Cafe, 201 E Sunset Rd, El Paso, TX 79922. Members gather for an optional 5:00 PM pre-meeting dinner (Pastaggio’s Italian Restaurant on Harrelson St. in Las Cruces; Ardovino’s Pizza on Sunset Rd. in El Paso).
Recent and next meetings (same page — checked 2026-10-09): the October 8, 2026 meeting was moved to El Paso, at the El Paso County – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (Texas AgriLife Research Center, 1380 A and M Cir, El Paso, TX 79927), following Texas Master Beekeeper Program exams there that afternoon. No later meeting was posted yet (“Please stay tuned for the next upcoming meeting”). Under the printed rotation, the next meetings would fall on Thursday, November 12, 2026 (El Paso) and Thursday, December 10, 2026 (Las Cruces); confirm on the Meetings page.
Membership (Join page — checked 2026-10-09): $30.00 per year, January 1 through December 31. Online payment adds a $1.60 processing fee ($31.60); cash or check is $30.00. Listed benefits include continuing education and workshops, a single point of contact for swarm recovery and removals, voting rights at annual meetings, networking with local beekeepers, and the club Speakers Bureau.
Hands-on (Urban Apiary page — checked 2026-10-09): the PDNBKA Urban Apiary is a members-only learning apiary hosted at Mustard Seed Café, 201 E Sunset Rd, El Paso, with guided inspections, mentoring and demonstrations during the active season. Veil and protective clothing required; hives are opened only at scheduled sessions.
Classes (course pages — checked 2026-10-09): Beginner Class: Intro to Beekeeping — a 2.5-hour introduction, $20 per attendee; next class Saturday, October 17, 2026 (time and location “TBA”). Full Course: Intro to Beekeeping — about 6–8 weeks of weekly Zoom classes plus hands-on weekend sessions; the 2026 course started February 9, 2026 and enrollment is closed. It cost $100 individual / $130 couple plus a PayPal fee, including 2026 membership.
Texas Master Beekeeper exams (exam page — checked 2026-10-09): PDNBKA hosted Texas Master Beekeeper Program Apprentice and Advanced exams in El Paso on October 8, 2026, with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and ran a virtual prep session on September 28, 2026. The page says all 11 local candidates passed the Apprentice exam the club hosted on October 5, 2025.
Contact (Contact Us page — checked 2026-10-09): a web form, plus a separate bee-removal request form. No club phone number, public email address or mailing address is printed on the pages checked.

Meeting dates, venues, dues and class prices above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live Meetings and Join pages before treating any figure or venue as fixed.

Official URL

https://pdnbeekeepers.org/

Events & Meetings: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/meetings

Join (dues): https://pdnbeekeepers.org/join

About Us: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/about

Bylaws: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/bylaws

Urban Apiary: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/urban-apiary

Affiliations: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/affiliations

Beginner Class: Intro to Beekeeping: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/details/service/beginner-class-intro-to-beekeeping-el-paso-las-cruces

Full Course: Intro to Beekeeping: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/details/service/full-course-intro-to-beekeeping-el-paso-las-cruces

Texas Master Beekeeper Exam – El Paso 2026: https://pdnbeekeepers.org/details/knowledgebase/texas-master-beekeeper-exam-el-paso-2026

Location

Las Cruces meetings (Events & Meetings page, checked 2026-10-09): Fabian Garcia Research Center, 113 W. University Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88005 (Building 158; back entrance 500 W. College Ave.), 2nd Thursday of even-numbered months, 6:30 PM. El Paso meetings: The Mustard Seed Cafe, 201 E Sunset Rd, El Paso, TX 79922, 2nd Thursday of odd-numbered months, 6:30 PM. The members’ Urban Apiary is at the same Mustard Seed Café. Verify the Meetings page before you go; one-off venue changes (such as October 8, 2026) are posted there.

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

Notes

Category is Local clubs. This is a first-party regional beekeeping association with a fixed monthly meeting rule, published dues and adopted bylaws. It is not Equipment and not Learning, even though it runs beginner classes and hosts Texas Master Beekeeper exams: those are club programs, and the Texas Master Beekeeper Program itself is already listed under Learning. It is the first New Mexico listing in the directory. It is listed under Las Cruces, NM because half its meetings are there; it also serves El Paso, TX, and is a member club of the Texas Beekeepers Association.
The Las Cruces venue’s address appears as “113 W. University Ave.” on the Meetings page and as “113 New Mexico State Rd 101” on a September 2026 event record; the same research center is meant. The site footer reads “Copyright 2024,” but the pages carry October 2026 events and bylaws adopted December 11, 2025.
The next meeting dates (November 12 and December 10, 2026) are worked out from the printed “2nd Thursday” rotation; the site had not posted them as events on the check date. The bylaws place the annual meeting in November or December.
Officer names, charter-member lists and interest-group leads on the About Us page are not copied. The registration and payment links (PayPal) were not used.
Dues, schedule, venues and class prices are copied from official pdnbeekeepers.org pages checked on 2026-10-09 and may change.
First-party image saved beside this listing as paseo-del-norte-beekeepers.png (the official round seal logo logo-round-sm.png from the site header, unedited 202×200 original). The site’s og:image is an SVG wordmark (logo.svg, HTTP 200), not used.
Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does Paseo del Norte Beekeepers meet?
A: According to the official Events & Meetings page (checked 2026-10-09), on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. Las Cruces meetings (February, April, June, August, October, December) are at the Fabian Garcia Research Center, 113 W. University Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88005. El Paso meetings (January, March, May, July, September, November) are at The Mustard Seed Cafe, 201 E Sunset Rd, El Paso, TX 79922. Visitors and new beekeepers are welcome.

Q: How much does membership cost?
A: The official Join page (checked 2026-10-09) lists $30.00 per calendar year, or $31.60 paid online with the processing fee. Membership is open to anyone interested in bees, with or without a hive.

Q: Does the club offer a beginner class?
A: Yes. A 2.5-hour Beginner Class: Intro to Beekeeping costs $20 per attendee, with the next one on Saturday, October 17, 2026 (time and place TBA on the check date). A longer multi-week Full Course with Zoom lessons and hands-on hive sessions ran from February 9, 2026; 2026 enrollment is closed. PDNBKA is still listed here as a Local club, not a Learning certificate program.

Q: Is there a place to get hands-on experience?
A: Members can join guided inspections at the PDNBKA Urban Apiary at Mustard Seed Café, 201 E Sunset Rd, El Paso. Sessions are announced at meetings, by email and on Facebook; a veil and protective clothing are required.

Q: Is PDNBKA a shop or a course?
A: No. It is listed here as a Local club. For hive gear, see the Equipment listings (e.g. Spicer Bees). For a structured course, see Learning (e.g. the Frederick County Beekeeping Association’s 2027 Beekeeping Course for Beginners).