Worcester County Beekeepers Association

Category: Local clubs Also called: WCBA; Worcester County Beekeepers; Worcester County Beekeepers Association (Massachusetts) Last checked: 2026-10-07

What it is

Worcester County Beekeepers Association (WCBA) is a first-party beekeeping club in Worcester County, Massachusetts, with a mailing address in Whitinsville (Northbridge), MA. Its official site says it was established in 1900, calls itself “the oldest county beekeeping organization in the United States,” and describes itself as a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose members come “from all over New England.” It runs monthly meetings, outdoor hive-opening workshops, an annual speakers conference, an annual (now fully virtual) Bee School, a swarm team, a members’ loaner library and a club honey-extractor rental program. It is not a commercial hive-equipment shop and not a university certificate pathway.

Who it’s for

Hobby and sideline beekeepers in central Massachusetts and nearby New England who want monthly meetings, hands-on hive openings with senior club beekeepers, and a member community. The Join page sets one annual membership at $25 a year. New beekeepers are encouraged to attend the spring meetings and be matched with experienced members as mentors. Not a drop-in equipment warehouse and not an online university course.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Local club. Its official pages print annual dues, a mailing address, dated 2026 meetings with venues and times, and ticket prices for its October 2026 conference. It is not a Facebook-only group and not a scraped directory card.

• Meetings (official Events calendar + 2026 event pages — checked 2026-10-07): the 2026 calendar shows Friday-evening indoor meetings at the Leicester Knights of Columbus Hall (January 9 annual business meeting and chef supper; February 6; April 10, with doors at 6:15 PM and a 6:30 PM start plus a potluck supper), and Saturday-afternoon outdoor hive openings at member apiaries from May through September (May 2, June 6, August 15, September 19). The Knights of Columbus street address differs between pages: event text says 96 Mannville Road, Leicester, while the calendar’s venue record says 91 Mannville St., Leicester, MA 01524. The outdoor sessions are held at members’ homes, so their addresses are deliberately not copied here.
• Upcoming (event page — checked 2026-10-07): the 46th Annual Speakers Conference is on Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8:00 AM–3:30 PM at Whitinsville Christian School, 279 Linwood Ave, Whitinsville, MA 01588. Keynote speakers are Dr. Juliana Rangel (Texas A&M) and Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda (University of Tennessee). Non-member tickets are $10 without lunch or $29 with lunch, and WCBA members log in for member pricing (the calendar lists cost as “Free – $29.00”). The event page links next to a “126th Annual WCBA Thanksgiving Banquet.”
• Membership (Join WCBA page — checked 2026-10-07): $25 per year. Memberships auto-renew on the membership anniversary. Listed benefits include members-only updates and articles, trade-journal discounts, an invitation to every regular meeting, free admission to special meetings, group discounts on honey jars, the club honey-extractor rental program, and the loaner library.
• Bee School (Bee School page — checked 2026-10-07): the 84th annual Bee School is now fully virtual, and the page calls it “the oldest in New England.” Registration is closed for 2026, and a form takes names for 2027 notices. Members who missed it can add the 2026 video sessions to their membership for $24.99.
• Contact (Contact Us page + footer — checked 2026-10-07): mailing address 1225 Providence Rd, PMB 224, Whitinsville, MA 01588. The Contact page uses a web form with Bee School, General Inquiries, Membership and Website Issues recipients, and sends swarm reports to the WCBA Swarm Team page. The footer email is obfuscated on the public page and is not copied here.

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

Official URL

https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/

Join WCBA (dues): https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/join-wcba/

Events calendar: https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/events/

46th Annual Speakers Conference (Oct 17, 2026): https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/event/october-17-2026-46th-annual-speakers-conference/

April 10, 2026 meeting (Leicester K of C example): https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/event/april-10-2026-challenges-of-spring-for-new-and-old-beekeepers/

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

Contact Us: https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/contact-us/

Location

Mailing address printed on the official Contact Us page and footer (checked 2026-10-07): 1225 Providence Rd, PMB 224, Whitinsville, MA 01588 (a mailbox, not a meeting hall). Indoor meetings in 2026 were held at the Leicester Knights of Columbus Hall, Leicester, MA (96 Mannville Road per event text; 91 Mannville St., 01524 per the calendar venue record). The October 17, 2026 Speakers Conference is at Whitinsville Christian School, 279 Linwood Ave, Whitinsville, MA 01588. Summer hive openings move between members’ apiaries. Verify the live Events calendar before you go.

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 central-Massachusetts beekeeping association with dated 2026 meetings, a published conference and annual dues. It is not Equipment and not Learning, even though it runs a Bee School: the Bee School is one club program (closed for 2026), not a certificate pathway. It is the first Massachusetts listing in the directory, and only the second New England Local club after Back Yard Beekeepers Association (CT).
• The 1900 founding, the “oldest county beekeeping organization in the United States” and “oldest [Bee School] in New England” claims, the $25 dues, the 2026 meeting dates, the Oct 17 conference details and $10 / $29 non-member tickets, the $24.99 Bee School video add-on, and the Whitinsville PMB address are copied from official worcestercountybeekeepers.org pages checked on 2026-10-07 and may change. The “oldest” claims are the club’s own and were not independently verified.
• Meeting and venue data were read from the official site’s public Events calendar pages and its built-in events feed (/wp-json/tribe/events/v1/events, HTTP 200). Board of Directors and Honey Extractor Rental pages are members-only and were not used. Outdoor hive-opening host names and home addresses printed on event pages are deliberately not copied.
• First-party image saved beside this listing as worcester-county-beekeepers.png (the official site icon Favicon-280x280.png, a “WCBA” wordmark, unedited 280×280). The full header logo is not exposed as a plain image file, and the site has no og:image.
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does WCBA meet?
A: The official 2026 Events calendar (checked 2026-10-07) shows Friday-evening indoor meetings at the Leicester Knights of Columbus Hall (for example April 10, 2026: doors 6:15 PM, start 6:30 PM, potluck supper) and Saturday-afternoon hive openings at member apiaries from May through September. The next listed event is the 46th Annual Speakers Conference on October 17, 2026, 8:00 AM–3:30 PM at Whitinsville Christian School, 279 Linwood Ave, Whitinsville, MA. Confirm on https://worcestercountybeekeepers.org/events/.

Q: How much does membership cost?
A: According to the official Join WCBA page (checked 2026-10-07), membership is $25 per year and auto-renews on your membership anniversary. Benefits include an invitation to every regular meeting, free admission to special meetings, the loaner library, honey-jar discounts and the club extractor rental program.

Q: Does WCBA run a beginner course?
A: Yes. The official Bee School page says the 84th annual Bee School is now fully virtual. 2026 registration is closed, there is a sign-up form for 2027 notices, and members can add this year’s video sessions for $24.99. WCBA is still listed here as a Local club, not a Learning certificate program.

Q: How much is the October 17, 2026 Speakers Conference?
A: The official event page (checked 2026-10-07) lists non-member tickets at $10 without lunch or $29 with lunch. WCBA members log in to see member pricing (the calendar shows “Free – $29.00”). The speakers are Dr. Juliana Rangel (Texas A&M) and Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda (University of Tennessee).