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.

✅️Spell Out: SAFE HAVEN

For spell outs you may use the first and last initial of the author's name and the first letter of the title (using or omitting a/an/the).

S - Shiver 7/13
A - Her Rival Dragon Mate by Arizona Tape 7/30
F - Suddenly Yours by Jacob Z. Flores 7/22
E - Exorcising the Exes 7/14

H - How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager 7/5
A - All That Drag 8/1
V - Schwarze Rosen für Oliver (Alte Schätzchen - neu aufgelegt 1) by Valerie le Fiery 8/20
E - Love and War by E.M. Lindsey 9/10
N - Davo by N.R. Walker 9/9

Glad you're doing the spell out Caipi! Remember the tasks are required - I'll post your next set of tasks when the first three are done. You can fill in the spell out over the course of the challenge.

Erica wrote: "Glad you're doing the spell out Caipi! Remember the tasks are required - I'll post your next set of tasks when the first three are done. You can fill in the spell out over the course of the challenge."

Yes, I know. And all three of them, not only one task like I thought originally!! 😂😂
It's going to take me some time to get them done.... 🙈😅

✅️TASK: 1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Hot Wings by Eli Easton
PAGES: 324
DATE READ: August 7th
HOW IT FITS: MC Donny is not tidy. His place: page 261 "...which turned out to be a cute single-story house suffering from single-guy messiness."

✅️TASK: 2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Der kleine Inselladen by Fenna Janssen
PAGES: 276
DATE READ: July 16th
HOW IT FITS:

✅️TASK: 3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Making Waves by Harper Robson
PAGES: 200
DATE READ: July 9th
HOW IT FITS: page 135 "...his erection nestled into my crack."

Oh my! lol

Finished all 3 tasks of Plant a Bee Garden

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

✅️TASK: 1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE
BOOK/AUTHOR: The Realist by Riley Hart
PAGES: 239
DATE READ: August 11th
HOW IT FITS: author's initials RH are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE

✅️TASK: 2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive (your interpretation).
BOOK/AUTHOR: An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride
PAGES: 174
DATE READ: August 14th
HOW IT FITS: both MCs Helios and Griffin are very sensitive, after everything the two have gone through.

✅️TASK: 3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text.
BOOK/AUTHOR: The Mayor and the Mystery Man by A.J. Truman
PAGES: 274
DATE READ: August 30th
HOW IT FITS: page 58 "It’s an organic coconut shampoo from this shop on Venice Beach.”

Finished my 3 tasks for Go Chemical-Free for Bees.

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

✅️TASK: 1. Read a book with the word "essential" in the text.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Hijacked by Lucy Lennox
PAGES: 324
DATE READ: October 1st
HOW IT FITS: pg. 196 "Essential on a mission?"

✅️TASK: 2. Read a book where a character is a good cook (food source) for other characters.
BOOK/AUTHOR: The Omega's Secret Pregnancy by Anna Wineheart
PAGES: 451
DATE READ: September 27th
HOW IT FITS: MC Felix is a great cook and teaches his friend this skill

✅️TASK: 3. Read a book with a shelter of some kind on the cover (tent, lean-to, etc.)
BOOK/AUTHOR: Untouchable by Robert Innes
PAGES: 202
DATE READ: October 12th
HOW IT FITS: shelter on cover

Finished Spell Out: SAFE HAVEN
Post #3

Awesome work! Do you want your next set of tasks posted so you can plan for them?

Erica wrote: "Awesome work! Do you want your next set of tasks posted so you can plan for them?"

That would be great, thanks.

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

✅️TASK: 1. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word WATER.
BOOK/AUTHOR: The Falcon and the Foe by A.J. Truman
PAGES: 296
DATE READ: October 25th
HOW IT FITS: A.J. Truman initials can be found in the word WATER.

✅️TASK: 2. Read a book where a character becomes very thirsty.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Ripples by Robert Innes
PAGES: 207
DATE READ: October 16th
HOW IT FITS: pg. 107 "...out of breath and constantly thirsty."

✅️TASK: 3. Read a book where the MC is very shallow.
BOOK/AUTHOR: SOS Hotel: Friendly Sanctuary for the Fiendishly Fabulous by Adam Vex
PAGES: 172
DATE READ: October 22nd
HOW IT FITS: MC is very shallow, only concerned with his appearance.

Finished tasks for Create a Bee Bath.

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

✅️TASK: 1. Read a book that has a bare yard in at least one scene.
BOOK/AUTHOR: The Hitman's Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love by Alice Winters
PAGES: 375
DATE READ: October 28th
HOW IT FITS: There's a scene where the MC crosses a bare yard during a stake out.

✅️TASK: 2. Read a book whose author's initials are in the word UNTOUCHED.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Just Jack by Christina Lee
PAGES: 250
DATE READ: April 18th
HOW IT FITS: Christina Lee initial C in UNTOUCHED

BOOK/AUTHOR: Wallaby My Love by Lorelei M. Hart
PAGES: 160
DATE READ: April 29th
HOW IT FITS: Lorelei M. Hart initial H in UNTOUCHED

✅️TASK: 3. Read a book with a character who builds a nest (can be a figurative nest if the character is a human).
BOOK/AUTHOR: Southern Magical Bakery by Tonya Kappes
PAGES: 208
DATE READ: October 28th
HOW IT FITS: MC buys a new home, renovates and furnishes it comfortably.

I hereby officially give up! I've read about 75 books since the end of October, almost every one by a different author and none had both initials in the word UNTOUCHED..... 🙈🤷‍♀️

Okay, how about using two of those books - one initial each? This is not meant to be torture, lol.

Erica wrote: "Okay, how about using two of those books - one initial each? This is not meant to be torture, lol."

That's a great offer, Erica! Thanks a lot, I'll take it.

➡️ Just Jack by Christina Lee
➡️ Wallaby My Love by Lorelei M. Hart

Going to update my completion post now.

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

TASK: 1. Read a book about a character who waits to do something until later.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Pieces of Me by N.R. Walker
PAGES: 156
DATE READ: June 22
HOW IT FITS: Dallas waits to tell Justin about his current financial problems until Justin's recovery from his accident is way more progressed.

TASK: 2. Read a book with an author whose initials can be found in the word CAVITY.
BOOK/AUTHOR: You Can See Me by A.E. Via
PAGES: 331
DATE READ: June 21st
HOW IT FITS: A.E. Via initials in CAVITY

TASK: 3. Read a book where a character stalks something.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Strays by Garrett Leigh
PAGES: 280
DATE READ: May 27th
HOW IT FITS: Gareth stalks MC Lenny

Finished tasks for "Leave Stems Behind"

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

TASK: 1. Read a book where the MC sells or buys a locally grown product
BOOK/AUTHOR:
PAGES:
DATE READ:
HOW IT FITS:

TASK: 2. Read a book with the word "honey" in the text.
BOOK/AUTHOR: His Lordship's Secret by Samantha SoRelle
PAGES: 331
DATE READ: June 30th
HOW IT FITS: pg. 54 "...a spoon full of honey...."

TASK: 3. Read a book with a character who suffers from allergies.
BOOK/AUTHOR: Victor from SOS Hotel?
PAGES:
DATE READ:
HOW IT FITS:

CONGRATULATIONS!! You saved the bees!