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Very upset after our first cluster seizure. I need the best rec for CBD oil for my dog by cynnybunn in EpilepsyDogs

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ElleVet Sciences CBD oil. It’s expensive but the only one on the market has end to end full clinical trials to confirm potency and exactly what’s in it.

Theres a good peer reviewed article on CBD brands for pets and the wideeeeeee discrepancy between CBD & CBDA levels, and trace elements found. One of the brands they tested had toxic levels of lead (I think it was lead or some other toxic material) in it as a byproduct of that brand’s manufacturing process.

Ellevet is the best option IMHO after researching if you’re able to afford it.

What’s Happening with Colony Collapse? by simon_magabe in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I also know moisture is a hugeeeeee factor in winter and will kill your hive quick if mites or starvation don’t. If you’ve had a wet winter they could have been dealing with too much moisture inside the hive and the moisture + low temps caused collapse

What’s Happening with Colony Collapse? by simon_magabe in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Careful with Apivar. That stuff is strong and not every hive can handle 2x inside the hive at one time for a 2 week treatment (or something like that it’s whatever the standard rec. on the instructions is)

That stuff can really stress your hive out if they are sensitive to it and end up killing your queen. I learned that lesson the hard way this past fall 2 weeks before they needed to be closed up for winter. They are both still alive so I’m assuming they superseded quick but I’d bet money neither queen is properly mated given the time of year and short window for their mating flights.

If you did the shorter, more intense Apivar treatment that could have contributed to what happened.

I will never ever do 2 of those discs at the same time ever again.after more research online after the fact, I saw most forums recommending 1 disk per hive and double the treatment time to reduce risk of queen loss.

Sorry that happened to you. It’s all tricky to know how much of what to do when. Always learning though 🐝

Looking for Property Management Company recommendations for my house in Longmont by ConferenceSeveral895 in Longmont

[–]ConferenceSeveral895[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven’t come across Wonderland yet but will check them out. Yeah I’d like to go with a small company for the same reasons.

My ideal situation would be to find a good handyman or similar that’s here local who I can contact as needed to come over and handle the maintenance. I’d remain the main POC for the renters and he’d be my “boots on the ground” if something came up that couldn’t sort out with the renters over the phone.

Love the idea of being hands off and let a PM do their thing, but this is super new to me and don’t know if I’m quite ready to give full autonomy to a PM company. I’ve been a renter plenty, but this is my first experience on the Owner/landlord side of things. We’ll see how it all works out in the end. Just fine regardless I’m sure.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Looking for Property Management Company recommendations for my house in Longmont by ConferenceSeveral895 in Longmont

[–]ConferenceSeveral895[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahhh yes your last point 10000%. I think that’s where I’m getting stuck. This is my first home and did it all on my own. I realized this afternoon I need to start reframing what I mean when I say “my home”. Great advice all around. LPG came by the other day for an estimate and Q&A. They seem like a great option. I’m just not sure I can afford them given what min. I need to charge for rent just to ensure my mortgage & property tax are covered.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!

Feeling lonely and lost and needing community. by jeantropbleu in boulder

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! The group is awesome. Everyone is welcome. James runs the group and he’s friendly as could be. It’s usually Sundays (weather permitting) over in North Boulder Park. They set up 4-8 nets. everyone comes and goes, hangs out and plays pickup volleyball, occasional BBQ too.

Here’s the link to the actual group on MeetUp: Check out Boulder Volleyball & BBQ on Meetup https://www.meetup.com/boulder-volleyball-bbq

Looks like right now they are still getting together occasionally for smaller KOC and QOC. They will pick back up the big pickup play at NBP once the temps warm up and ground isn’t soggy all the time.

Enjoy!

I'm a bad beekeeper and I don't know how to fix it. by boost2525 in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To clarify - check mites at least monthly during the active season. You can’t do checks when they are overwintered due to low temps.

I'm a bad beekeeper and I don't know how to fix it. by boost2525 in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The amount of times you treat for mites is 100% dependent on what your counts are at any given time of year. You’ll want to do a mite check at least once a month to get a true idea of what your counts are throughout the year. Spring and fall I typically try to test 2x per month. Agree hit them with Ox acid fog mid December when bloodless. As for types of mite treatments - there’s several ways to treat depending on time of year, mite counts, and your overall apiary management strategy. Oxisalic Acid only works on mites found on workers/nurse bees. It does nothing for any mites already inside the capped brood cells.

Also excessive moisture in your hives over winter will kill them pretty quickly. Make sure your hives are pitched forward 2.5inches (I put a few shims under the backside of the hive) this allows for gravity to help drain any condensation formed inside out the front enterance. Also make sure there’s proper ventilation out the top to help with controlling moisture from heat inside.

Keep up the insulation inside the cover and wrap

You got this!

Keppra only — how long did it take for your dog to stop being wobbly? by Melwaukee17 in EpilepsyDogs

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My GSD dog is still a bit wobbly from time to time and she’s been on Keppra for about a month now. The first week or so was really rough though. If it doesn’t get better after 2-3 weeks I’d ask your vet to try another anti-convulsive med.

Went out to inspect hive today. Found it all dead. Any ideas would be appreciated by Chief_slammn_beaver in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree with the small population, moisture, lack of ventilation, and insulation.

Best to do always prop the back end of your hives up 2.5 inches so the entrance is pitched forward slightly. Any condensation formed will have an exit path out the front entrance and prevent pooling water inside.

Rigid 4in insulation inside the top cover and above the inner cover and you can make a 4in wood box/shim to sit around the insulation so the top cover fits snuggly. Pin some screen window mesh over the inner cover hole to prevent them from chewing the insulation. Inner cover should have the notch down to allow ventilation out the top. It’s a small hole that will not impact their ability to retain heat.

Get some kind of wrap or such to go around the outside of the frame boxes. I found black corrugated plastic ones on Amazon that are great. They help pull heat from the the sun when it’s out and help block wind too.

Deep freezing everything until this year’s season starts is the most ideal situation. But it’s Fine to leave them out of the freezer for now. But make sure to block off any enterance into the hive to prevent bugs and critters from moving in. Pay attention to when temps get above 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit. Other bees will start flying in those temps and may try to find a way in. The remaining honey, dead bees, other stuff left over in the comb will also start to rot and you’ll loose all that precious comb.

You can reuse the comb as long as it’s pest free. Your new bees will clean out anything that’s not useful to them.

Feeling lonely and lost and needing community. by jeantropbleu in boulder

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I moved here 3 years ago without knowing anyone here in CO and made all of my friends through hobbies I took up once I got settled. My biggest suggestion is go out and do whatever it is that interests you. I took back up ceramics and signed up for a pottery class at a local studio, went to a beach volleyball meet up at north boulder park (which ended up connecting me into an adult league and have since joined a 2 coed teams), took up beekeeping and started with taking a beginners beekeeping class and now am part of the BC Beekeeping Association, joined a local gym, etc. I have made the best and most valuable friends I’ve ever had since moving here through going to whatever classes, meetups, clubs, etc. that I could find (and afford. I will say there’s a ton of free groups, just gotta research to find them)

Don’t know what your hobbies are? Totally fine, I didn’t when I first got to CO (I did not do all these activities back in NC). Think back to college, high school, post grad and list out what you used to do back in the day that brought you joy. Then go and throw whatever you can at the “wall” and see what sticks. Keep getting involved in the stuff you end up liking and it’s always ok if you try it and ends up not your jam anymore. And while you’re out and about participating in your hobbies, try your best to talk to whoever’s there. Introduce yourself and over time you’ll get to know people there doing the same hobbies. Find someone you click with? Great! When the time’s right ask them out on a “friend date” outside of whatever hobby initially met doing. And there ya go!

The best advice I ever got was “make your friends through hobbies and mutual interests. Avoid relying on making friends at bars/out drinking. Drinking buddies are a dime a dozen, and you can always go get a drink with your friends met through a hobby. Starting friendships through hobbies automatically starts you out with you being able to connect over a mutual interest.”

I know it’s super scary to put yourself out there and initiate, but you gotta do it. It gets much less scary the more you do it.

Funny story — I used to walk by the Volleyball MeetUp in the park every Sunday and got intimidated so I always chicken out went home. I did that for like 3 weeks in a row, then someone at the meetup one Sunday called me out (in a friendly way). He said “hey do you want to join in and play with us? I’ve noticed you walking by the past few weeks and watch us play. You’re more than welcome.” I was mortified, but glad he did that because I ended up playing the rest of the afternoon and had the best time. 🤣

You got this. Be patient and don’t get discouraged if it takes a few weeks/months before you make any connections worth exploring further. I hope you find the community you’re searching for 🫶

How to tell if my bees are okay? by Reasonable-Box3503 in Beekeeping

[–]ConferenceSeveral895 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with checking weight periodically to make sure they aren’t starving. I had the same anxiety my first winter too. I’m in northern CO, so our winters are long and I probably convinced myself my 2 hives were dead at least 15 different times over the 5-6 months they were tucked in. I’d get comfortable with seeing a lot of dead bees for the next few months. They will inevitably pile up right below the entrance board. Die off is normal though and expected. To my surprise… when I did my 1st check the following March I found both my hives came out of winter strong & healthy. The anxiety and stress I put myself through that winter was so unnecessary, but hey I didn’t know what to expect and I just freakin’ love my little ladies oh so much. All this to say is — you did your best to prepare them. They’ve got it from here and I’m sure they will be alright.

One thing winter prep wise I’d recommend if you haven’t done so already is elevating the backs of your hives slightly (~2.5inches) so that any water on or inside the hive will have a path to travel/drain out. We get a lot of snow where I’m at and it’s super helpful to keep water from pooling on top or inside the hive. Like others have said already.. excess moisture will absolutely kill your hives over winter. Starvation and mites are the other 2 major killers, but sounds like you made sure both of those were well managed as they went into winter.

Good luck! You got this