Rhode Island Beekeepers Association — Statewide, RI local clubs

Category: Local clubs Also called: RIBA; Rhode Island Beekeepers; Rhode Island Beekeeping Group; RI Beekeepers Association; ribeekeeper.org

What it is

The Rhode Island Beekeepers Association (RIBA) is a statewide, membership-based beekeeping club for Rhode Island, founded in 1917 by A. C. Miller according to its own site. It describes itself as a “membership-based environmental organization” that promotes education about bees and best beekeeping practices. RIBA holds membership meetings with a separate session for new beekeepers, runs a winter bee school, keeps a public swarm list by town, offers members access to club extractors, and charges $25 a year for membership. Its next posted meeting is Sunday, November 8, 2026. This listing is for the club, not a store or a university course.

Official URL

Official site: https://ribeekeeper.org/

Upcoming Events: https://ribeekeeper.org/upcoming-events/

November 8, 2026 membership meeting: https://ribeekeeper.org/event/2834/

Memberships: https://ribeekeeper.org/memberships/

About RIBA: https://ribeekeeper.org/about-riba/

Bee School: https://ribeekeeper.org/bee-school/

Swarm Rescue: https://ribeekeeper.org/swarm-rescue/

Mentor Program: https://ribeekeeper.org/mentor-program/

Last checked

2026-10-20. All URLs above returned HTTP 200 with a desktop Chrome user agent on that date.

Who it’s for

Beekeepers and people interested in honey bees anywhere in Rhode Island, from first-year keepers to experienced members. New beekeepers get their own session before the general meeting. Homeowners with a honey bee swarm can use the club’s swarm list. Not a supply store.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party club site with a dated upcoming meeting, a venue, printed dues and a long, documented history.

Identity (home and About RIBA pages, checked 2026-10-20): founded in 1917 by A. C. Miller, who the site says served as Rhode Island’s apiary inspector and wrote USDA beekeeping publications. Its by-law objectives include educating new and established beekeepers and the public about honey bees.
Next meeting (Upcoming Events and event page, checked 2026-10-20): November Membership Meeting, Sunday, November 8, 2026, 2:00–4:00 PM, at the VFW Hall, 29 S. Main St., RI 02816. The page lists a New Beekeeper Meeting at 1 PM and the General Membership Meeting at 2 PM. It was the only upcoming event posted.
Membership (Memberships page, checked 2026-10-20): $25.00 per year, paid online through PayPal or by mailing a printed form with a check. Members 70 or older who have paid dues for the previous five consecutive years become Life Members with no dues. Listed benefits include monthly meetings, access to the association’s extractors for a small rental fee, the option to join the swarm list after two years in good standing, and discounts on the Spring and Fall Banquets and the intermediate bee school.
Affiliations (Memberships page, checked 2026-10-20): Eastern Apicultural Society, American Beekeeping Federation, Agriculture Council of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Audubon Society.
Education (Bee School page, checked 2026-10-20): a beginner course costing $100, including course materials, a textbook and RIBA membership, offered in four sections at Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. The dates on the page are January–March 2026 sessions, and it says “Bee School Registration is now CLOSED!” No 2027 dates were posted.
Swarms (Swarm Rescue page, checked 2026-10-20): a list of members by town who will collect swarms. Members on the list have been RIBA members in good standing for at least two years, have kept bees for at least two years, and have swarm-catching experience. Names marked with an asterisk can also remove established colonies from buildings, with construction costs agreed separately with the owner.

Dates, dues and lists above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change.

Location

Statewide club. The November 8, 2026 meeting venue is printed as VFW Hall, 29 S. Main St., RI 02816; the event page gives no town name, and ZIP 02816 is Coventry, Rhode Island. Mailing address on the Contact Us page: P.O. Box 61, East Greenwich, RI 02818. Bee school sections meet at Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. Confirm each event’s venue on its page before you travel.

Notes

Category is Local clubs. This is the site’s first Rhode Island listing.
Parts of the site are out of date: the home page says “Please excuse our appearance as we continue to make improvements to our website!”, the Mentor Program page is headed “Mentors for 2025,” the newest newsletter listed is February 2021, and the Bee School page still shows 2026 dates. The November 2026 meeting is current, so the club is listed, but check the Upcoming Events page for the latest.
RIBA’s 2026 Bee School was rejected as a Learning listing on 2026-10-12 because it had no 2027 dates. That is still true; this listing is for the club, not the course.
The Extractor Rental product link (/product/extractor-rentals/) returned a 307 redirect, not a 200, so it is not cited.
Officers’ and swarm-list members’ phone numbers and emails on the club’s pages are deliberately not repeated.
First-party image saved beside this listing as rhode-island-beekeepers-association.png: the club’s official logo from the site header (Logo.png; a Rhode Island map filled with honeycomb, a bee, a smoker and “Rhode Island Bee Keepers Association” banners), 395×444, unedited.
Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza. No form was submitted, no membership or PayPal checkout was started, no login was used and no one was contacted.

FAQ

Q: When and where is the next Rhode Island Beekeepers Association meeting?
A: The official Upcoming Events page (checked 2026-10-20) lists the November Membership Meeting on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at the VFW Hall, 29 S. Main St., RI 02816: a New Beekeeper Meeting at 1 PM and the General Membership Meeting from 2 to 4 PM.

Q: How much does it cost to join RIBA?
A: $25 a year, as printed on the Memberships page on 2026-10-20. You can pay online through PayPal or mail a printed form with a check. Members 70 or older with five consecutive years of dues become Life Members with no dues.

Q: Who do I call about a honey bee swarm in Rhode Island?
A: The club’s Swarm Rescue page lists members by town who collect swarms. Members marked with an asterisk can also remove colonies from structures, with construction costs agreed separately.

Q: Does RIBA teach beginners?
A: Yes. It runs a winter Bee School ($100 with materials, a textbook and membership) at Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. On 2026-10-20 the page still showed the 2026 sessions with registration closed; 2027 dates had not been posted.

Q: Can members borrow honey extractors?
A: The Memberships page says members can use the association’s extractors for a small rental fee.