The Challenge Factory discussion

Save the Bees!

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

Task: 1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
The Crown Kiera Cass 5/20/25 - Eadlyn (MC) is not tidy, but she has a maid, housekeeper that cleans up after her.

Task: 2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover.
The Red Fox Clan John Flanagan 5/13/25 - they are in an abandoned house leading into the garden through the archway

Task: 3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text.
The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning John Flanagan 5/8/25 - "After an hour, she rose, tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack, peering through." page 129

Optional Spell Out:
S - The Lost Stories John Flanagan 5/4/25 - Stories (S)
A - Duel at Araluen John Flanagan 5/17/25 - Araluen (A)
F - The Missing Prince John Flanagan 5/21/25 - Flanagan (F)
E - Escape from Falaise John Flanagan 5/24/25 - Escape (E)
H - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson 8/17/25 - Holly (H)
A - The Mysterious Affair at Styles Agatha Christie 7/21/25 - Agatha (A)
V - Vindmakeren Maja Lunde 7/1/25 - Vindmakeren (V)
E -
N -

Completed

Task: 1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
The Crown Kiera Cass 5/20/25 - Eadlyn (MC) is not tidy, but she has a maid, housekeeper that cleans up after her.

Task: 2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover.
The Red Fox Clan John Flanagan 5/13/25 - they are in an abandoned house leading into the garden through the archway

Task: 3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text.
The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning John Flanagan 5/8/25 - "After an hour, she rose, tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack, peering through." page 129

Optional Spell Out:
S - The Lost Stories John Flanagan 5/4/25 - Stories (S)
A - Duel at Araluen John Flanagan 5/17/25 - Araluen (A)
F - The Missing Prince John Flanagan 5/21/25 - Flanagan (F)
E - Escape from Falaise John Flanagan 5/24/25 - Escape (E)
H - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson 8/17/25 - Holly (H)
A - The Mysterious Affair at Styles Agatha Christie 7/21/25 - Agatha (A)
V - Vindmakeren Maja Lunde 7/1/25 - Vindmakeren (V)
E -
N -

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

Tasks:
1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE.
The Tournament at Gorlan John Flanagan 5/29/25 - No J or F in Pesticide

2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive (your interpretation).
The Green Ember S.D. Smith 6/6/25 - One of the MC's is Picket, he is sensitive and always gets upset when he can't do stuff and needs help.

3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text.

Optional Spell Out:
S - Ember Falls S.D. Smith 6/11/25 - Smith (S)
U
S - Ember Rising S.D. Smith 6/16/25 - Smith (S)
T - The First Fowler S.D. Smith 6/26/25 - The (T)
A - The Archer's Cup S.D. Smith 6/29/25 - Archer (A)
I
N
A - And Then There Were None Agatha Christie 7/15/25 - And (A)
B - The Battle of Hackham Heath John Flanagan 6/1/25 - Battle (B)
L - The Last Archer S.D. Smith 6/24/25 - Last (L)
E - Ember’s End S.D. Smith 6/21/25 - Ember's (E)