Howard County Beekeepers Association

Category: Local clubs Also called: HCBA; Howard County Beekeepers Association, Inc. (West Friendship / Ellicott City, Maryland); hocoba.com

What it is

The Howard County Beekeepers Association (HCBA) is a local beekeeping club for Howard County, Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Its About page describes it as an all-volunteer non-profit whose mission is to promote beekeeping in Howard County by giving current beekeepers a forum to learn best practices and share experience, and to educate the public about honey bees and other pollinators; the site footer says it is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3). The Member Benefits page says it has over 200 members. The club holds monthly general meetings on the second Tuesday at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, runs a fall one-day seminar and a spring Beginning Beekeeping Course, weekly member continuing-education sessions in members’ apiaries, free extractor loans, a mentor-protégé program, an outyard matching service, and a public swarm and honey bee removal volunteer list. This listing is for the local club, not a single course or a supply store.

Official URL

Official site: https://www.hocoba.com/

About HCBA: https://www.hocoba.com/about-hcba-1

Meeting information: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-meeting-info

General meeting info page: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-general-meeting-info

HCBA calendar of events: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-calendar

Become a member or renew: https://www.hocoba.com/become-a-member-or-renew

Member benefits: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-member-benefits

Seminar and course: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-classes

Continuing education: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-continuing-education

Swarm and honey bee removal: https://www.hocoba.com/swarm-and-bee-removal

Constitution and bylaws: https://www.hocoba.com/hcba-bylaws

Last checked

2026-11-04. All URLs above returned HTTP 200 with a desktop Chrome user agent on that date.

FAQ

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: The Meeting Information page says HCBA meets on the second Tuesday of each month, except August and December, 7:00–9:00 pm, in the Dining Hall at the Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Road, West Friendship, MD 21794. The General Meeting page adds an open discussion and Q&A starting at 6:30 pm, and says meetings are also simulcast. On the check date the site still showed the October 13, 2026 meeting as “next,” and the home page mentioned a November Pot Luck and General Meeting; by the second-Tuesday rule that falls on November 10, 2026, with no December meeting and the next one on January 12, 2027 (both calculated, not posted). Check the calendar before going.

Q: Can non-members attend?
A: Yes. The bylaws say general membership meetings are open to the public, though club business is voted on by active members only.

Q: How much is membership and what does it include?
A: The membership page lists annual (January–December) dues of $20 for an individual and $30 for a family, payable by PayPal or mailed check; the bylaws say dues are due by January 31 to stay active, and members under 18 can join as non-voting members without dues. Benefits listed include monthly guest speakers, free use of club-owned extractors, a lending library of bee books, members-only web pages and forums (including a Beekeeper Exchange), access to the club’s five master beekeepers and a mentor-protégé program, outyard matching for members without space for hives, field trips, a picnic and pot-luck dinner, and the option to resit the course free as a “Bee Ambassador.”

Q: Does the club teach beginners?
A: Yes. The Seminar and Course page lists a One-Day Seminar (held October 24, 2026, 9:00 am–4:30 pm, $30 per person, children 8–14 free with a paying adult), described as an overview for people deciding whether beekeeping is for them, and the Beginning Beekeeping Course (BBC): seven consecutive Wednesday sessions starting February 3, 2027, 6:30–9:00 pm, at the Fairgrounds Dining Hall or online, plus a hands-on field day. Topics include bee biology and behavior, zoning and apiary siting, obtaining bees and starting colonies, inspections and management, feeding, state registration, pests and diseases. No 2027 course fee or registration link was posted on the check date. Members can also join free weekly Continuing Education sessions, usually held on Wednesdays in participants’ apiaries.

Q: What should I do if I find a swarm?
A: The Swarm and Honey Bee Removal page asks you first to confirm the insects are honey bees using the club’s identification guide, then lists volunteer members (with the areas they serve across Howard County and nearby counties) who handle honey bee swarm removals and, in some cases, house extractions. The volunteers only help with honey bees.

Q: How do I contact the club?
A: The site footer lists the email hocobeekeepersassoc@gmail.com and the mailing address P.O. Box 1416, Ellicott City, MD 21041, plus a contact form on the website.

Q: Is this an official or affiliated listing?
A: Neither. Beekeeping Plaza is not affiliated with the Howard County Beekeepers Association. No contact, form, registration or membership signup was made. Some site content is members-only. This is the site’s first Maryland Local clubs listing (Maryland already has a Learning entry, the Frederick County Beekeeping Association course).