He said bees were key for helping native trees, gardens and fruit trees flourish and the initiative was a great way to raise awareness.
National Beekeepers Association chief executive Daniel Paul said the purpose was to educate people about what they could do to protect and preserve the bees.
"Bees are so critically important - not just to our economy but also to our homes and gardens."
He said bees supported more than $5 billion of the country's agri-industry exports annually, and they pollinated one third of all the food we ate.
"The bees in New Zealand are faring a lot better than in many other countries, where bee populations are often under threat, but we still need to promote and protect them.
"We need to plant bee-friendly plants for them to feed on, and also be careful with our use of pesticides and insecticides."
Mr Paul suggested home gardeners think about their spraying practices.
"Don't spray during the day if you can avoid it because bees are foraging and don't spray plants in flower because bees will suck up the poison."
Mr Paul said food for the bees was becoming more of an issue because a lot of land was going into forestry and dairy industries.
"It might sound strange but the fact that we manicure our lawns, keeping them closely cropped, also removes forage for bees," he said. "Gardens are getting smaller as residential properties get smaller. The amount of food sources for bees is not what it used to be because of these changes to our society and our rural agricultural programmes."
Between 20 and 30 district and city councils had signed up to the initiative, Mr Paul said.
"We want to preserve what we have got. We have got an increasing number of hives and bee keepers but we can't afford to be complacent."
Some nectar rich plants suitable for gardens include citrus trees, rosemary, lavender, manuka, thyme, sage, pohutukawa and sunflower.
Visit www.nba.org.nz/beeawaremonth for more information on Bee Aware Month.
