The Challenge Factory discussion

Save the Bees!
Challenge Starts July 1, 2024

There are over 20,000 bee species found in the world. This diversity encompasses some of the most important insects for agriculture, wild plants, and home gardens.
Many plants rely on pollinators, including bees, for pollination. Some plants are fully dependent on bees, while others are only partially dependent.
Fully dependent plants include brazil nuts, cocoa beans, kiwi and melons. Partially dependent plants include avocados, coffee and nuts. Other plants that rely on bees are almonds, apples, apricots, blueberries, cotton, papaya, passionfruit, and strawberries.

Take seven steps to help protect the bees! Each step requires 3 books.

There is an optional spell out for each level as well. For spell outs, you may use the first letter of the first word of the title (using or omitting an opening A/An/The), or the first letter of the author's first or last name.

Post your completions in your own thread. You may take as long as you need to complete this challenge.

Sample completion post:

TASK:
BOOK/AUTHOR:
PAGES:
DATE READ:
HOW IT FITS:

Plant a Bee Garden
Keeping a tidy garden may actually backfire for bees. This is because it removes items and sites that are usually used by the insects. Only honeybees form hives, while 70% of the rest of bees nest in the ground and 30% use cracks and crevices as their bee home.

One of the largest threats to bees is a lack of safe habitat where they can build homes and find a variety of nutritious food sources. You can create a safe haven for bees with pollen- and nectar-rich flowers by planting a range of shapes, sizes, colors, and bloom times. You don’t need a ton of space to grow bee-friendly plants — gardens can be established across yards and in window boxes, flower pots, and mixed into vegetable gardens. Seek out locally native plants as often as possible as many bee species have coevolved to feed exclusively on native flowers and need them to survive.

Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover.
3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text.

Optional Spell Out: SAFE HAVEN

REMEMBER: Books completed before July 1st will not count for this challenge.

Completion Post - Plant a Bee Garden

Task: 1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy
Book: Where Witches Lie by M.Z. Andrews
Read: 03/07/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: The MC, Mercy, is not tidy - her dorm mate, Jax, is always cleaning up their room and scolding Mercy
Pages: 341

Completion Post
Task: 2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover
Book: The Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
Read: 07/07/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: two flower pots on cover
Pages: 240

Completion Post
Task: 3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text
Book: Dirrayawadha: Rise Up by Anita Heiss
Read: 01/07/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: location 2281 “…Miinaa hears a crack in his voice…”
Pages: 352

Go Chemical-Free for Bees
Regardless of which flowers you plant, avoid using pesticides and herbicides. Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and neonicotinoids are harmful to bees, wreaking havoc on their sensitive systems. A garden can thrive without these harmful chemicals — in fact, one goal of a bee-friendly garden is to build a sustainable ecosystem that keeps itself in check by fostering beneficial populations. If you must use a pesticide, choose a targeted organic product, and always avoid applying pesticides directly to the soil or when flowers are blooming.

Tasks:
1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE.
2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive (your interpretation).
3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text.

Optional Spell Out: SUSTAINABLE

Completion Post - Go Chemical Free for Bees

Task: 1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE
Book: Pixie-lated by Willow Mason
Read: 09/07/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: W & M not in the word ‘pesticide’
Pages: 166

Completion Post
Task: 2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive (your interpretation) - having or showing awareness and understanding, esp. of other people’s feelings and needs
Book: The Royal Treatment by Melanie Summers
Read: 11/07/24
Rating: 2★s
How it fits: Arthur is very sensitive to Tessa’s feelings of being overwhelmed by the situation and her need to have have a rock to anchor on - he’s the rock for her.
Pages: 282

Completion Post
Task: 3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text
Book: Chez Stinky by Susan C. Daffron
Read: 16/07/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: Page 78 “…She demanded to know if the carrots were organic, I said they sure weren’t inorganic…”
Pages: 116

Provide Trees for Bees
Did you know that bees get most of their nectar from trees? When a tree blooms, it provides thousands of blossoms to feed from. Trees are not only a great food source for bees, but also an essential habitat. Tree leaves and resin provide nesting material for bees, while natural wood cavities make excellent shelters. Native trees such as maples, redbuds, and black cherry all attract and support bees. You can help bolster bee food sources and habitat by caring for and planting trees. Trees are also great at sequestering carbon, managing our watersheds, and cooling air temperatures.

Tasks:
1. Read a book with the word "essential" in the text.
2. Read a book where a character is a good cook (food source) for other characters.
3. Read a book with a shelter of some kind on the cover (tent, lean-to, etc.)

Optional Spell Out: BLOSSOMS

Completion Post - Provide Trees for Bees

Task: 1. Read a book with the word "essential" in the text
Book: Suzie Goes to the Police Academy by Suzie Ivy
Read: 03/08/24
Rating: ★s
How it fits: Page 20 “…the call came Tuesday morning. I was in, and it was essential they saw me that afternoon to sign the paperwork…”
Pages: 166

Task: 2. Read a book where a character is a good cook (food source) for other characters
Book: Witch School Dropout by M.Z. Andrews
Read: 21/07/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: Sweets is such a good cook, she cooks for her friends at the boarding school, and she drops out of Witch School to take over a bakery
Pages: 386

Task: 3. Read a book with a shelter of some kind on the cover (tent, lean-to, etc.
Book: The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith
Read: 24/07/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: tent on cover
Pages: 213

Create a Bee Bath
Bees work up quite a thirst foraging and collecting nectar. Fill a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean water, and arrange pebbles and stones inside so that they break the water’s surface. Bees will land on the stones and pebbles to take a long, refreshing drink.

Tasks:
1. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word WATER.
2. Read a book where a character becomes very thirsty.
3. Read a book where the MC is very shallow.

Optional Spell Out: REFRESHING

Completion Post - Create a Bee Bath

Task: 1. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word WATER
Book: The Brazen City by Torsten Weitze
Read: 04/08/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: Author initials are TW
Pages: 460

Task: 2. Read a book where a character becomes very thirsty
Book: Road Trippin' with My Witches by M.Z. Andrews
Read: 18/08/24
Rating: ★s
How it fits: On her return from a hike, Holly collapses on the sofa and tells Reigh she is dying of thirst - he rushes to get a glass of water and helps her to take a drink.
Pages: 246

Task: 3. Read a book where the MC is very shallow
Book: A Score to Kettle by Erin Johnson
Read: 14/08/24
Rating: 3★s
How it fits: Page is shallow as she only wants Thomas because he’s old and rich not because she loves him
Pages: 172

Protect Ground Nesting Bees
Did you know that 70% of the world’s 20,000 bees — including bumblebees — live underground. There, they build nests and house their young, who overwinter and emerge each spring. Ground nesting bees need bare, mulch-free, well-drained, protected soil in a sunny area to create and access their nests. Leave an untouched section for ground nesting bees in your garden!

Tasks:
1. Read a book that has a bare yard in at least one scene.
2. Read a book whose author's initials are in the word UNTOUCHED.
3. Read a book with a character who builds a nest (can be a figurative nest if the character is a human).

Optional Spell Out: UNDERGROUND

Completion Post - Protect Ground Nesting Bees

Task: 1. Read a book that has a bare yard in at least one scene
Book: Ribbing and Runes by Nancy Warren
Read: 22/08/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: Lucy and Violet walk through the garden where the wedding is going to take place and they are both surprised how bare it still was as spring had arrived and the bulbs should have started flowering.
Pages: 208

Task: 2. Read a book whose author's initials are in the word UNTOUCHED
Book: A Witch For Mr. Holiday by Deanna Chase
Read: 21/08/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: Author initials are D & C
Pages: 221

Task: 3. Read a book with a character who builds a nest (can be a figurative nest if the character is a human)
Book: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Read: 25/08/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: After the great library burns down Kiela flees and settles on an island and builds a new home and business - she creates a sage nest for herself
Pages: 416

Leave Stems Behind
30% of bees live in holes inside of trees, logs, or hollow plant stems. Don’t cut those hollow stems, which are valuable bee habitats. A hollow stem may not seem like prime real estate to us, but to the mason and other bees, it’s a cozy home in which they may overwinter. Wait until the spring to cut back dead flower stalks, leaving stems 8 to 24 inches high to provide homes for cavity-nesting bees.

Tasks:
1. Read a book about a character who waits to do something until later.
2. Read a book with an author whose initials can be found in the word CAVITY.
3. Read a book where a character stalks something.

Optional Spell Out: PLANT STEM

Completion Post - Leave Stems Behind

Task: 1. Read a book about a character who waits to do something until later
Book: Mosaics and Magic by Nancy Warren
Read: 31/08/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: Lucy and Rafe put off their honeymoon and wait to have it later once they’ve solved the life threatening problem
Pages: 244

Task: 2. Read a book with an author whose initials can be found in the word CAVITY
Book: Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews
Read: 22/09/24
Rating: 3★s
How it fits: Author initials are A & I
Pages: 456

Task: 3. Read a book where a character stalks something
Book: The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Read: 06/09/24
Rating: 3★s
How it fits: Aslan stalks Shasta and Aravis through the desert
Pages: 237

Support Local Beekeepers and Organizations
Local beekeepers work hard to nurture their bees and the local community. The easiest way to show your appreciation is to buy locally-made honey and beeswax products. Many beekeepers use products from their hives to create soaps, lotions, and beeswax candles. Plus, local honey is not only delicious — it is made from local flora and may help with seasonal allergies! You can also give time, resources, and monetary donations to local beekeeping societies and environmental groups to help their programs grow.

Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC sells or buys a locally grown product.
2. Read a book with the word "honey" in the text.
3. Read a book with a character who suffers from allergies.

Optional Spell Out: APPRECIATION

Completion Post - Support Local Beekeepers and Organisations

Task: 1. Read a book where the MC sells or buys a locally grown product
Book: Outback Reunion by Rachael Johns
Read: 01/10/24
Rating: ★s
How it fits: At location 369 Gabby (Gabriela) and Mark meet for the first time in eight years as they both go to buy the same thing at a local market stall “…we both reached for the last carton of Fran’s cherry tomatoes…”
Pages: 352

Task: 2. Read a book with the word "honey" in the text
Book: Arts and Witchcrafts by Morgana Best
Read: 23/09/24
Rating: 4★s
How it fits: Page 17 “…The buildings were historic and most were made in stonework of a pretty honey colour…”
Pages: 173

Task: 3. Read a book with a character who suffers from allergies
Book: Bah, Humbug! by Heather Horrocks
Read: 24/09/24
Rating: 5★s
How it fits: They find out that Lexie’s daughter Trista is allergic to cats when her little brother, Stephen, brings home a stray kitten
Pages: 16

CONGRATULATIONS!! You saved the bees!