...not much opportunity for picnics so far in the UK in June or July, maybe August will allow us to get all al fresco...

either way get all the questions right and you'll be in with a chance to win a clever picnic set and a drink bottle that's also a solar light, in case you linger over your picnic til dusk.

1. Wasps release a chemical when they sting or if they are squashed that other wasps can smell.  This chemical makes other wasps more aggressive and more likely to sting.  What is this kind of smelly chemical called?
   • Pheromone
   • Antonym
   • Trombone
   • Reveal answer

   Never swat a wasp near its nest or if you see others around… you might get stung by more than one wasp.

2. Leaf cutter ants cut leaves into tiny pieces to bring back to their colonies. What do they use the leaves for?
   • Eating - a single ant can get through one small shrub a day.
   • Growing fungus - the ants eat only the fungus that grows on the leaves.*
   • Making maps - they use these maps to show them where other food is.
   • Reveal answer

   To avoid ants, bring along an anteater... adult can eat around 30,000 ants a day.

3. Seagulls sometimes swoop down as an attack on people or their pets. Why would they usually do this?
   • To practice their fishing action.
   • To protect their chicks.
   • To chase away small dogs, they particularly dislike Yorkshire terriers.
   • Reveal answer

   Some species of gulls are very intelligent and have known to use tools to obtain food. Some have been known to drop shellfish on rocks to break them open - mind your head.

4. If you are caught in a thunderstorm while out on a picnic you may notice, as you are getting soaked, that the thunder and lightning rarely reach you at the same time. Which reaches you first?
   • The thunder - sound travels faster through air than light.
   • The lightning - light travels faster through the air than sound.
   • It depends on which way the wind is blowing.
   • Reveal answer

   To stay dry and safe in a thunderstorm get in a car. If the car is hit by lightning the electrical current flows through the car's body keeping you safe inside

5. Grass is often damp in the morning, even when it hasn't rained. Air close to the ground cools over night and this cold air can't hold as much water as warm air. The extra water condenses out, forming what?
   • Flash floods
   • Mushrooms
   • Dew
   • Reveal answer

   Breakfast picnics are a bad idea as this water hasn't had a chance to evaporate away. If you are planning a breakfast picnic bring a waterproof blanket or chair.

6. The Solar UV Index on weather reports is a measure of how much of the sun's ultraviolet rays are reaching the ground. It depends on where the Sun is and how many clouds there are. What is the maximum index in the UK at the height of summer and what does it mean for people who burn easily?
   • 3 - medium risk of being sunburnt
   • 7 - high risk of being sunburnt
   • 10 - very high risk of being sunburnt
   • Reveal answer

   Worried about sunburn and flies at a picnic? Pigs coat themselves in mud to not only prevent sunburn but also protect against flies and parasites.

7. Which of these items of litter takes the longest (over 100 years) to degrade?
   • Aluminium Cans
   • Orange Peel
   • Paper bag
   • Reveal answer

   Throwing away an apple core is considered littering in the UK, even if it will biodegrade in a few months.

8. Sand in sandwiches is always a gritty problem when eating on the beach, but when might we want to put sand (aka silica) in our mouths?
   • It is found in toothpaste
   • It is found in ground coffee
   • It is added as a flavouring in fruit yoghurts
   • Reveal answer

   Silica is also found in the needle-like hairs of that other picnic irritation & the nettle &

9. Although nettles are uncomfortable when they sting, people have been using them for centuries. Which of these is NOT a use for nettles?
   • Nettles are used in soup and tea.
   • Nettle stems have been used to make cloth.
   • Rubbing nettles on an insect bite can reduce the inflammation.
   • Reveal answer

   It is still in dispute what chemicals in the nettle actually cause the sting so until science has caught up it is best to avoid them.

10. Putting tomatoes in sandwiches long before they're eaten can make the sandwich soggy. What percentage of a tomato is actually water?
    • 5%
    • 50%
    • 95%
    • Reveal answer

    An antioxidant in tomatoes, called lycopene, helps protect the skin from sunburn. The best way to get lots of lycopene is to eat tomato paste - it's tasty and it doesn't make your sandwiches as soggy.

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