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.

3. 'Crack' in text
Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I would feel exhausted, crack—and then feel ashamed." p.104

S: Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder - ⭐️⭐️
A: Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe - ⭐️⭐️
F: Unfuck Your Year: A Weekly Unplanner and Self-Care Activity Book to Manage Your Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Triggers, and Freak-Outs, Faith G. Harper - ⭐️⭐️
E: Elements of Art: Ten Ways to Decode the Masterpieces - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
H: The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country, Helen Russell - ⭐️⭐️
A: Addiction, Procrastination, and Laziness: A Proactive Guide to the Psychology of Motivation - ⭐️⭐️
V: Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters, Laura Vanderkam - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
E: Enough - ⭐️⭐️
N: The Mythology of Supernatural: The Signs and Symbols Behind the Popular TV Show, Nathan Robert Brown - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hey Richard - this challenge requires completing all three tasks. So another day or so and you'll be done...

Oh whoops, sorry about that.

No problem! You read SO fast!! Not sure how you do it. I'm pokey sliw.

I'm not sure either. I'm gonna guess because of my neurodivergence.

Interesting. Not entirely sure I know what fits under the umbrella of neurodivergence. But it clearly doesn't impact intellect!

I've recently discovered I have Inattentive ADHD & high-functioning Autism (both of those fall under the umbrella of neurodivergence). So we can get hyper-focused on our passions. And learning from non-fiction books to become a better person than my past self is a big passion of mine.

Thank you for your kind words. ☺️

✅ 1. Plant a Bee Garden

1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
Don't Stand too close to a Naked Man - ⭐️
"She says I leave messes everywhere." p.152

2. Read a book with a flower pot on the cover.
- The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

✅ 2. Go Chemical-Free

1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE.
Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex - Rachel Feltman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive.
Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text.
The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body - Cameron Diaz - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Fossil fuels like oil also come from organic life that was originally sustained by the sun." p.38

Sustainable
S: The Social Life of Books: Reading Together in the Eighteenth-Century Home - ⭐️⭐️
U: Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography, Usain Bolt - ⭐️⭐️
S: Fast Minds: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD, Craig Surman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
T: Ted Bundy: America’s Most Evil Serial Killer - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A: Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I: Manifest Now, Idil Ahmed - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
N: Adventures With the Wife in Space: Living With Doctor Who, Neil Perryman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A: Ganbatte!: The Japanese Art of Always Moving Forward, Albert Liebermann - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
B: Beneath the Surface of Things: New and Selected Essays - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
L: Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
E: Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope - ⭐️⭐️

Erica wrote: "Interesting. Not entirely sure I know what fits under the umbrella of neurodivergence."

Just thought I'd inform you that 'hyperlexia' is a thing that some people with autism have.

It's where they learn to read at a very young age (for me it was when I was 2 years old). And it can really affect how they read in their adult life.

Interesting! I learned to read at 3 and I do read a lot. But not at the pace you're at...

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

✅ 3. Provide Trees

1. Read a book with the word "essential" in the text.
Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library - "The artworks in libraries can be highly visible and essential" p.34 - ⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book where a character is a good cook for other characters.
Wired to Eat: How to Rewire Your Appetite and Lose Weight for Good - "You’ve just been cooking in the kitchen three times in one week, but you’ve created enough food for about twenty meals for you and someone else." p.171 - ⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book with a shelter of some kind on the cover
- Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blossoms
B: The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention, Simon Baron-Cohen - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
L: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, Anna Lembke - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
O: Trust: Living Spontaneously and Embracing Life, Osho - ⭐️⭐️
S: The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams - ⭐️⭐️
S: Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind, Srini Pillay - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
O: Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression - ⭐️⭐️
M: The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
S: Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain, Peter Shankman - ⭐️⭐️

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

✅ 4. Bird Bath

1. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word WATER.
The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility, Waqas Ahmed - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book where a character becomes very thirsty.
The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857 - "half-naked British refugees were wandering around his estates, starving and thirsty." p.247 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book where the MC is very shallow.
Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live - "as a friend of mine once quipped, “We turned out to be superficial to the core.”" p.48 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Refreshing
R: Really Saying Something: Sara & Keren – Our Bananarama Story - ⭐️⭐️
E: Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
F: Fodor's Essential China - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
R: Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People in Every Part of Your Life - ⭐️⭐️
E: Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security, 3 volume set - ⭐️⭐️
S: Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament, Michael A. Singer - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
H: How to Hug a Porcupine: Easy Ways to Love the Difficult People in Your Life - ⭐️⭐️
I: The Irresistible Introvert: Harness the Power of Quiet Charisma in a Loud World - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
N: Space Between: Explorations of Love, Sex, and Fluidity, Nico Tortorella - ⭐️⭐️
G: 41 Minutes to Be Happy: The 7 PIllars of Happiness, Géraud Guillet - ⭐️⭐️

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

✅ 5. Nesting Bees

1. Read a book that has a bare yard in at least one scene.
The Age of Overwhelm: Strategies for the Long Haul - "As a landscaper said sternly to me upon discovering the complete and total neglect of our yard, “If the soil in the area becomes too dry, it becomes hydrophobic and won’t take up water easily. Or . . . at all.”" p.77 - ⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book whose author's initials are in the word UNTOUCHED.
The Lone Assassin: The Epic True Story of the Man Who Almost Killed Hitler, Helmut Ortner - ⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book with a character who builds a nest.
Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea - "These birds nest in the shelter of the high cliffs of the Great North" p.105 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Underground
U: Unleashing Creativity - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
N: Napoleon - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
D: Chillpreneur: The New Rules for Creating Success, Freedom, and Abundance on Your Terms - ⭐️⭐️
E: Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad - ⭐️⭐️
R: 42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero, Doreen Rappaport - ⭐️⭐️
G: Mastering Erotic Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Manual for Erotic Play, Fetish, and Kink, James Gordon - ⭐️⭐️
R: Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, Randy L. Schmidt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
O: The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, Meghan O'Rourke - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
U: User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play - ⭐️⭐️
N: 1956: the year Australia welcomed the world, Nick Richardson - ⭐️⭐️
D: KISS: Behind the Mask - Official Authorized Biography, David Leaf - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

✅ 6. Leave Stems Behind

1. Read a book about a character who waits to do something until later.
A Woman of Influence: The Spectacular Rise of Alice Spencer in Tudor England - As Alice was the youngest amongst her sisters, she would have to wait until it was her turn to marry. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book with an author whose initials can be found in the word CAVITY.
White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction, Allen W. Trelease - ⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book where a character stalks something.
The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene - "a pride of lions cooperatively stalks prey" p.311 - ⭐️⭐️

Plant Stem
P: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading, James Patterson - ⭐️⭐️
L: African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan, Thomas Lockley - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A: ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
N: Can You Hear Me?: How to Connect with People in a Virtual World, Nick Morgan - ⭐️
T: How to Sound Cultured: Master The 250 Names That Intellectuals Love To Drop Into Conversation, Thomas W. Hodgkinson - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
S: His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, Robert Samuels - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
T: The Overthinking Cure: How to Stay in the Present, Shake Negativity, and Decode Your Stress and Anxiety, Nick Trenton - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
E: Dr. Mary's Monkey: How the Unsolved Murder of a Doctor, a Secret Laboratory in New Orleans and Cancer-Causing Monkey Viruses are Linked to Lee Harvey ... Assassination and Emerging Global Epidemics, Edward T. Haslam - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
M: Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity, Jamie Metzl - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hi Erica, just checking in to see if this challenge has finished?

Gaack! No!! The problem is I saw the notification that you had a new post when I didn't have a computer handy. And then the red alert thing went away so I lost track of it. Groan. Sorry!



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

Ok cool. And yeah, that's fine.

✅ 7. Support Local

1. Read a book where the MC buys a locally grown product.
We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance - "turned to locally grown cassava to get by." p.311 - ⭐️⭐️

2. Read a book with the word "honey" in the text.
Ice Cream Social: 100 Artisanal Recipes for Ice Cream, Sherbet, Granita, and Other Frozen Favorites - "Popular flavors for the time included honey, pomegranate, and quince." p.23 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Read a book with a character who suffers from allergies.
Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat who Rode the Bus and Stole our Hearts - "I am allergic to cats and dogs" p.91 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Appreciation
A: Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force - ⭐️⭐️
P: Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting, Eilon Paz - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
P: Positively Introverted: Finding Your Way in a World Full of People - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
R: The Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage As Medicine for the Body, Mind, and Soul, Lissa Rankin - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
E: Exposure Anxiety - The Invisible Cage: An Exploration of Self-Protection Responses in the Autism Spectrum and Beyond - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
C: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I: I Can Make You Sleep: Overcome Insomnia Forever and Get the Best Rest of Your Life! Book and CD - ⭐️⭐️
A: Life Lessons From Nietzsche, John Armstrong - ⭐️⭐️
T: Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music, Ted Gioia - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I: I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O: On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored: Psychoanalytic Essays on the Unexamined Life - ⭐️⭐️
N: Killing Rasputin: The Murder That Ended The Russian Empire, Margarita Nelipa - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CONGRATULATIONS!! You saved the bees!