A honey bee in South Canterbury has the same basic life cycle as one anywhere else, but the rhythm of the hive follows our seasons, weather and flowering plants. A worker bee starts as an egg, then becomes a larva and pupa before emerging as an adult after about 21 days. Young workers begin with jobs inside the hive, such as cleaning cells and caring for developing bees. As they age, they take on other tasks before becoming foragers, flying out to collect nectar, pollen and water.
They are not setting out to pollinate crops. They are finding food, and pollination happens as pollen is carried from flower to flower.
Winter: June to August
The colony is at its smallest and much less active. Bees spend more time inside the hive, clustering for warmth and living largely on stored food, while the queen lays fewer eggs. According to the New Zealand Trees for Bees programme, colony size and food requirements change considerably through the year, with winter being the period when colonies are smallest and spring growth begins again. For beekeepers, winter is about keeping colonies healthy and well supplied so they are ready when conditions improve.
Spring: September to November
As days lengthen, temperatures rise and more plants begin flowering, the colony becomes increasingly active. The queen lays more eggs and the number of young workers grows. Trees for Bees describes spring as a particularly important period because colonies need good pollen and nectar supplies while building towards the large populations required for pollination and honey production. This is also when farmers and beekeepers may start matching strong colonies with flowering crops. According to the Ministry for Primary Industries, commercial pollination is a significant part of New Zealand beekeeping. More than 102,000 colonies were used for commercial pollination during the 2023/24 season.
Summer: December to February
The colony can reach tens of thousands of bees, with large numbers of workers out foraging each day. Some hives may be helping pollinate crops while others are gathering nectar that can become honey. Once one crop finishes flowering, bees need food elsewhere. Clover, gardens, shelter belts, native plants, field margins and other flowering crops can all provide nectar and pollen. The Foundation for Arable Research says good crop pollination depends partly on having suitable pollen sources available in both spring and autumn, and recommends using otherwise non-productive areas of farms to provide additional bee forage. What is flowering nearby can also affect where the bees go. FAR research in Canterbury found that honey bees placed in carrot seed crops sometimes preferred flowering clover nearby because carrot flowers were less attractive to them.
Autumn: March to May
As the days shorten and temperatures cool, the colony begins preparing for winter. Late summer and autumn are especially important because the hive raises a generation of longer-lived bees that must help carry the colony through the colder months. Trees for Bees says colonies need good supplies of both pollen and nectar during this period so they can raise healthy winter bees and rebuild food stores. Drought can make this harder by reducing flowering and stopping nectar flows. Beekeepers also need to keep a close watch on hive health. The Ministry for Primary Industries' national colony-loss survey identifies varroa as the most prominent reported cause of New Zealand honey-bee colony losses in both autumn and winter.
Then the cycle begins again.
A single bee passes through the stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The whole colony moves through winter slowdown, spring growth, summer peak and autumn preparation. In South Canterbury, those changes do not happen on an exact calendar. Temperature, rainfall, wind, altitude and what is flowering nearby all influence when bees can forage and how quickly a colony grows. And honey bees are not doing all of the work. MPI research notes that unmanaged bumblebees, native bees and flies can sometimes contribute as much as, or more than, honey bees to pollination in crops such as carrot and pak choi.
So the farming year is not simply about having beehives nearby. It is about having healthy pollinators, enough flowers and the right conditions at the time a crop needs them.