There's plenty for bees to pollinate and collect nectar from during summer, but what happens in winter?

The not-for-profit Trees for Bees educational programme educates farmers and urban gardeners about bee-friendly planting to help sustain New Zealand's bee population during the cooler months.

During March, Experience Comvita is wiping the usual $9 per child and $18 per adult admission fee for its interactive tour experience, and instead asking patrons to make a $5 donation to Trees for Bees.

'During spring-autumn when the farmers are harvesting or growing their crops, there's plenty of pollen and nectar for bees,” says Experience Comvita manager Drew Copestake.

'But during the winter months the bees really struggle to maintain sufficient feeds. The programme teaches farmers that if they were to plant bee friendly trees they're providing a floral source for bees to sustain them over the winter months.”

Drew says bee friendly trees include New Zealand natives, cabbage trees, Manuka, lemon wood, flax, rewarewa, and pohutakawa, as well as rosemary, bluegum and red gum.

The decision to trial the new donation approach to admission at Experience Comvita is to view the company's guided tour experience as a public good, as well as the not-for-profit receiving financial support.

'It's always good to give back, and Trees for Bees is a programme that at its very core has the same values as Comvita. We too believe absolutely in the importance of preserving New Zealand's bee population and taking care of the natural environment around us.”

He says swapping the admission fee for a donation is an opportunity to raise the profile of how important bees are for our food crops as well as raising funds for Trees for Bees.

'Most of us have a pretty general idea of what bees do, we know they're important even if we don't specifically know why.”

The $5 donation to Trees for Bees gives visitors to Experience Comvita a 40-minute guided tour free of charge.