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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.

Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC is not tidy.
A Dangerous Road (Smokey Dalton #1) (2000) by Kris Nelscott (Hardcover 336 pages)
MC’s very messy office described as follows:
pp. 17: “��.papers scattered everywhere. There were piles of paper on the floor, the filing cabinets tilted against the scarred wood paneling, and a shabby coat rack on which I had hung two shabby coats. My desk had its own stack of papers and there were two chairs �� ��.��
Finished: 07/16/24

2. Read a book with a flower pot, window box or other small garden on the cover.
Bushes with flowers planted along the path in the center of the cover.
The flowerpot on the porch had contained flowers in soil before the pot was tilted over on its side.
The basket (also on the porch, lower right side of cover) contains plants in soil.

Daisies for Innocence (Enchanted Garden Mystery #1) (2016) by Bailey Cattrell (Paperback 326 pages)
Finished: 08/06/24

3. Read a book with the word "crack" in the text.
The Dogs of Riga (Kurt Wallander #2) (1992) by Henning Mankell; translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson (Paperback 326 pages)
p. 20 “This is going to be a tough nut to CRACK.��
Finished: 07/07/24

Optional Spell Out: SAFE HAVEN
S: (Sequoia) How High We Go in the Dark (2022) by Sequoia Nagamatsu (07/02/24)
A: (Annie) Annie Bot (2024) by Sierra Greer (07/28/24)
F: (Fortier) The Lost Sisterhood (2014) by Anne Fortier (07/13/24)
E: (Emmi) The Moonday Letters (2020) by Emmi Itäranta (08/09/24)
H: (Hisashi) The Kamogawa Food Detectives (#1 of The Kamogawa Food Detectives series) (2013) by Hisashi Kashiwai; translated Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood (07/14/24)
A: (Agatha) They Do It with Mirrors (Miss Marple #6) (1952) by Agatha Christie (07/27/24)
V: (Veronica) When Among Crows (2024) by Veronica Roth (10/13/24)
E: (Estes) Off the Air (2024) by Christina Estes (11/12/24)
N:

Finished all the tasks for 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

Tasks:
1. Read a book by an author whose initials are NOT found in the word PESTICIDE.
The Baker Street Letters (Baker Street Letters #1) (2009) by Michael Robertson (Hardcover 277 pages)
Finished: 08/25/24

2. Read a book where the MC is very sensitive (your interpretation).
Magnus Eisengrim, the magician, is described on p. 12: “He’s marvelously intelligent in his own way �� sensitive, aware, and intuitive �� but it’s not a literary or learned intelligence, Magnus is a truly original creature.�� Throughout the novel, Magnus is described as being very aware of how the people around him are reacting to him (‘very aware�� another way of saying: sensitive)
World of Wonders (The Deptford Trilogy #3) (1975) by Robertson Davies (Paperback 352 pages)
Finished: 08/20/24

3. Read a book with the word "organic" in the text.
p. 1: “Decorated in a beautiful green-blue scheme, designed by William Moris’s company, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., in the 1860s, every inch, floor to ceiling, is covered with ORGANIC �貹�ٳٱ���Բ�.��
Forgetting to Remember (2024) by M.J. Rose (Paperback 266 pages)

Optional Spell Out: SUSTAINABLE
S: (Scalzi) Starter Villain (2023) by John Scalzi (09/23/24)
U: (Underdogs) The Underdogs (1915) by Mariano Azuela; translated from Spanish by Sergio Waisman (08/28/24)
S: (Sehee) I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Conversations with My Psychiatrist (2018) by Baek Se-hee (female); translated from Korean by Anton Hur [616.89] (10/10/24)
T: (Taylor) A Summons to Memphis (1986) by Peter Taylor (12/22/24)
A: (Airth) River of Darkness (John Madden #1) (1999) by Rennie Airth (09/09/24)
I: (In) In Other Lands (2017) by Sarah Rees Brennan (08/30/24)
N: (Night) The Night Guest (2021) by Hildur Knútsdóttir; translated from Icelandic by Mary Robinette Kowal (02/07/25)
A: (Alice) Grave Expectations (Grave Expectations #1) (2023) by Alice Bell (09/28/24)
B: (Buckley) Make Russia Great Again (2020) by Christopher Buckley (09/16/24)
L: (Leake) Arcana (Sylvani #1) (2014) by Jessica Leake (12/14/24)
E: (Erin) The Wedding Witch (The Ex Hex #3) (2024) by Erin Sterling (12/08/24)

Finished all the 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

Tasks:
1. Read a book with the word "essential" in the text.
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish (Hecate Cavendish #1) (2024) by Paula Brackston
Finished: 09/15/24

p. 59: “This small selection from her father’s study had been her ESSENTIAL reading before beginning work at the cathedral, and all contained some information or other about its history.��


2. Read a book where a character is a good cook (food source) for other characters.
Our main character is a female chef at an upscale restaurant in Paris, France. She moves from France to a secluded island off the coast of Washington, State, USA, and there, amongst other events, cooks for her friends & family.

Recipe for a Charmed Life (2024) by Rachel Linden
Finished: 10/18/24


3. Read a book with a shelter of some kind on the cover (tent, lean-to, etc.)
The buildings in this photo are private homes in Hinckley, Minnesota.


Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (2006) by Daniel James Brown [623.9618]
Finished: 09/21/24


Optional Spell Out: BLOSSOMS
B: (Brook) Buried in the Stacks (The Haunted Library Mysteries #3) (2019) by Allison Brook (10/07/24)
L: (Laurent) Civilizations (2019) by Laurent Binet; translated from the French by Sam Taylor (12/28/24)
O: (Once) Once There Was a Way: What if The Beatles Stayed Together? (2017) by Bryce Zabel (01/18/25)
S: (Steven) The Doomsday Vault (Clockwork Empire #1) (2011) by Steven Harper (11/02/24)
S: (Sarah) Goodnight June (2014) by Sarah Jio (11/22/24)
O:
M: (McKinlay) A Merry Little Murder Plot (Library Lover's Mystery #15) (2024) by Jenn McKinlay (01/30/25)
S: (Steve) On the Wrong Track (Holmes On the Range #2) (2007) by Steve Hockensmith (11/30/24)

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

Tasks:
1. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word WATER.
watER
Hearts of Oak (2020) by Eddie Robson (Paperback 261 pages)
Finished: December 02, 2024

2. Read a book where a character becomes very thirsty.
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault (Dark/Spark #1 of 2) (2017) by James Alan Gardner (ŷ������ Author) (Paperback 382 pages)
Lilith is thirsty! She says p. 20: “Do this after we’re gone. I’m THIRSTY!��
Finished: October 26, 2024

3. Read a book where the MC is very shallow.
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells (2013) by Sebastian Faulks (ŷ������ Author) (Hardback 243 pages)
Main character Bertie Wooster is an upper-class British who is mostly interested in his own pleasure. His activities include fine dining, gentlemanly sports (like golf and tennis), and partying with his peers. This novel was approved by the estate of P.G. Wodehouse, and is written with the sensibilities of the original “Jeeves�� books. (Jeeves is the butler who enables Bertie’s ‘gentlemanly�� lifestyle.)
Finished: November 15, 2024


Optional Spell Out: REFRESHING
R: (Reader) The Reader on the 6.27 (2014) by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent; translated from French by Ros Schwartz (10/20/24)
E: (Emmeline) Fresh Brewed Murder (A Ground Rules Mystery #1) (2021) by Emmeline Duncan (03/16/25)
F: (Frederik) The Day the Martians Came (1988) by Frederik Pohl (02/04/25)
R: (Robertson) Anatomy of Murder (Crowther and Westerman #2) (2010) by Imogen Robertson (03/23/25)
E: (Epstein) Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) by David Epstein [153.9] (05/22/25)
S: (Seanan) Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7) (2022) by Seanan McGuire (02/11/25)
H: (Herbert) God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4) (1981) by Frank Herbert (10/31/24)
I: (In) In the Quick (2021) by Kate Hope Day (11/20/24)
N: (Neil) The Company You Keep (2003) by Neil Gordon (05/19/25)
G:

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

Finished!!!

Optional Spell Out: SAFE HAVEN
S: (Sequoia) How High We Go in the Dark (2022) by Sequoia Nagamatsu (07/02/24)
A: (Annie) Annie Bot (2024) by Sierra Greer (07/28/24)
F: (Fortier) The Lost Sisterhood (2014) by Anne Fortier (07/13/24)
E: (Emmi) The Moonday Letters (2020) by Emmi Itäranta (08/09/24)
H: (Hisashi) The Kamogawa Food Detectives (#1 of The Kamogawa Food Detectives series) (2013) by Hisashi Kashiwai; translated Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood (07/14/24)
A: (Agatha) They Do It with Mirrors (Miss Marple #6) (1952) by Agatha Christie (07/27/24)
V: (Veronica) When Among Crows (2024) by Veronica Roth (10/13/24)
E: (Estes) Off the Air (2024) by Christina Estes (11/12/24)
N: (Nonesuch) The Nonesuch (1962) by Georgette Heyer (12/05/24)

Cool!

Finished!!!

Optional Spell Out: SUSTAINABLE
S: (Scalzi) Starter Villain (2023) by John Scalzi (09/23/24)
U: (Underdogs) The Underdogs (1915) by Mariano Azuela; translated from Spanish by Sergio Waisman (08/28/24)
S: (Sehee) I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Conversations with My Psychiatrist (2018) by Baek Se-hee (female); translated from Korean by Anton Hur [616.89] (10/10/24)
T: (Taylor) A Summons to Memphis (1986) by Peter Taylor (12/22/24)
A: (Airth) River of Darkness (John Madden #1) (1999) by Rennie Airth (09/09/24)
I: (In) In Other Lands (2017) by Sarah Rees Brennan (08/30/24)
N: (Night) The Night Guest (2021) by Hildur Knútsdóttir; translated from Icelandic by Mary Robinette Kowal (02/07/25)
A: (Alice) Grave Expectations (Grave Expectations #1) (2023) by Alice Bell (09/28/24)
B: (Buckley) Make Russia Great Again (2020) by Christopher Buckley (09/16/24)
L: (Leake) Arcana (Sylvani #1) (2014) by Jessica Leake (12/14/24)
E: (Erin) The Wedding Witch (The Ex Hex #3) (2024) by Erin Sterling (12/08/24)

Amazing!!

Tasks:
1. Read a book that has a bare yard in at least one scene.
Terminal Alliance (Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse #1) (2017) by Jim C. Hines (Paperback 379 pages)
Our heroes are on an alien planet. They take a lift inside a tall tower and ��..
p. 216: “The lift stopped on level two, opening to reveal a field of dirt, rocks, and knee-high yellow grass.��
Finished: January 25, 2025


2. Read a book whose author's initials are in the word UNTOUCHED.
CDEHNOTUU
uNtoucheD
You Are Here (2024) by David Nicholls (Hardback 368 pages)
Finished: January 25, 2025

3. Read a book with a character who builds a nest (can be a figurative nest if the character is a human).
The Wild Wood (1994) by Charles de Lint (Paperback 205 pages)
Eithnie and Ruth are women, and Kate is the cat.
p. 74: “Eithnie cleared a spot for herself at the table while Ruth started a new pot of coffee and warmed up the pancakes. As soon as Eithnie sat down, her black and white tabby Kate jumped off the rocking chair where she’d been sleeping and made a NEW NEST for herself on Eithnie’s lap.��
Finished: February 15, 2025


Optional Spell Out: UNDERGROUND
U: (Untimely) Untimely Death (Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery #1) (2015) by Elizabeth J. Duncan (12/13/24)
N:
D: (Death) Death at a Country Mansion (Daisy Thorne Mystery #1) (2020) by Louise R. Innes (01/01/25)
E:
R: (Rita) The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow (2013) by Rita Leganski (04/12/25)
G: (Gloria) Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity (2023) by Gloria Mark [153.733] (01/31/25)
R:
O:
U:
N:
D: (Dogs) Dogs and Monsters: Stories (2024) by Mark Haddon (01/05/25)

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

Tasks:
1. Read a book about a character who waits to do something until later.
The Intuitionist (1999) by Colson Whitehead
Our heroine, Lila Mae Watson, does something “later��. P. 206: “The cream-colored paper is in her hand. She would memorize it and transcribe it LATER.��
Finished: February 24, 2025

2. Read a book with an author whose initials can be found in the word CAVITY.
The Last Saxon King (A Jump in Time #1) (2023) by Andrew Varga (ŷ������ Author) (Hardback 316 pages) (Young Adult)
cAVity
Finished: March 18, 2025

3. Read a book where a character stalks something.
A River of Golden Bones (Golden Court #1) (2023) by A.K. Mulford
A River of Golden Bones is book #1 of a Romantasy trilogy. Our main character, Calla, learns she is the ‘fated mate�� of Prince Grae. She likes Prince Grae �� OK, more than likes him �� but isn’t ready to settle down and get married �� she has other things to do (like rescue her homeland from an evil sorceress!!). She leaves the castle and heads off to her homeland. Prince Grae, because he is her ‘fated mate�� can always find her, and he does! One might say that Grae is STALKING her throughout the kingdoms. In short, Grae is the character who is stalking someone �� his ‘fated mate�� Calla.
Finished: March 04, 2025


Optional Spell Out: PLANT STEM

P: (Pagan) Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around (2021) by Camille Pagán (03/14/25)
L: (Lindskold) Library of the Sapphire Wind (Over Where #1) (2022) by Jane Lindskold (02/26/25)
A: (All) All About Love: New Visions (1999) by bell hooks (02/19/25)
N:
T: (Tale) A Tale of Two Murders (A Dickens of a Crime #1) (2018) by Heather Redmond (03/26/25)

S: (Standiford) Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and the Secret Bands of Radicals Who Led the Colonies to War (2012) by Les Standiford (04/05/25)
T: (Townsend) The Xanadu Manuscript (1977) by John Rowe Townsend (04/27/25)
E:
M: (Metropolis) Metropolis (2022) by B.A. Shapiro (04/14/25)

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

Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC sells or buys a locally grown product.
Crying in H Mart (2021) by Michelle Zauner (Hardback 243 pages) [Biography/921]
Author in this memoir writes about a childhood seven miles outside the American city of Eugene, Oregon. P. 15: “Eugenians are proud of the regional bounty and were passionate about incorporating local, seasonal, and organic ingredients well before it was back in vogue.�� �� “Local farmers gather every Saturday downtown to sell homegrown organic produce and honey, foraged mushrooms, and wild berries.�� The author remembers, in this memoir, going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday with her mother to shop for groceries.
Finished: April 15. 2025

2. Read a book with the word "honey" in the text.
Time's Agent (2024) by Brenda Peynado
p. 155: “”Before me, the shaded brightness of a jungle, a green so deep it’s almost blue. Above me, a HONEY embroiders the canopy leaves with gold outlines, a soft hum of light.��
Finished: March 30, 2025

3. Read a book with a character who suffers from allergies.
The Glass Magician (The Paper Magician #2) (2014) by Charlie N. Holmberg
pp. 82-83: Main character, Magician Emery Thane, is revealed to have a severe allergy to cats. Symptoms after a prolonged exposure to a cat includes: (p. 82:) “redness of his eyes and puffiness around his jaw��; "stuffed up nose"; and (p. 83) “hives on his hand��.
Finished: April 17. 2025

Optional Spell Out: APPRECIATION

A:
P: (Peter) Invitation To A Dynamite Party (Sergeant Cribb #5) (1974) by Peter Lovesey (04/30/25)
P: (Phaedra) The Little Italian Hotel (2023) by Phaedra Patrick (05/06/25)
R:
E:
C: (Catastrophe) Catastrophe: And Other Stories (1965) by Dino Buzzati; translated from the Italian by Judith Landry (05/08/25)
I: (IF) If You Could See the Sun (2022) by Ann Liang (YA) (04/25/25)
A:
T:
I: (Iceworld) Iceworld (1951) by Hal Clement (04/26/25)
O:
N:

CONGRATULATIONS!! You saved the bees!

(you can keep doing the spell out if you wish)

Yeah bees!!!!
I plan to continue with the spell outs.