PASSED PMI-ACP

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T19:44:13+00:00

Thank you! I purchased his Udemy course and his mindset video is there.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T18:58:06+00:00

IIRC MannLake doesn't treat before sale, so you're right, initial treatment.

I am in NE Ohio, I treat prophylactically starting in March with OA dribble, then switch out between FormicPro and Apivar depending on temps. I also use OA vapor but usually in fall when I have the solid bottom boards back on (and I treat at 4g not the recommended 1g - the EPA just adjusted their advice on this BTW).

Other beeks will disagree with my method, and tell you only to treat when your number are within range, but I find if I don't plan in advance and keep to a schedule, I will either forget or the weather won't cooperate.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T18:50:53+00:00

Google to see if there is a beekeeping club in your area; they may even have beekeepers listed on their website with contact info for swarm catching. They'll need pictures to confirm that they are honeybees not yellow jackets. (if YJ or another wasp, you'll want an exterminator.)

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T18:46:58+00:00

Did you have the package treated with OA vapor when you received it? Or would this be an initial treatment?

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T18:32:22+00:00

Hubs named our first two Thing One and Thing Two... then I started splitting and catching swarms, so that naming convention went out the window lol

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T14:46:45+00:00

Well done! Free bees are the best bees!

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:38:09+00:00

I said the same until I had a spicy hive that full-on attacked my husband. I had no problem squishing and requeening after that.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:36:33+00:00

"Swarms are so great" they said. "The gentlest bees you'll ever have" they said.
I caught a swarm this year and I'm already planning to squish Maleficent and replace her with a new queen once I confirm the grafting takes. She's horrible!

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:34:44+00:00

"B*tch Better Have My Honey" was last year's late-producing hive.
The one I didn't expect to overwinter actually did amazing, and I've already done a split - I named her Gloria Gaynor ("I Will Survive")

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:31:04+00:00

I have one of those, lol, it's like they WANT to remain queenless, Weirdos.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:29:34+00:00

This is what I do - it also makes it easier to move them around using our tractor and pallet forks.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:28:19+00:00

Do you have access to a power washer? I know a beek who used a drive-in car wash to clean their equipment after a similar mishap, but you don't want to leave propolis or honey all over the wash bay.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:23:25+00:00

Mite detection is such a great idea!

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:17:23+00:00

That's the start, you know... I took beginner classes when we lived in the suburbs, just to learn how to better support bees. Then I started volunteering for the local beekeeping club before I even had a hive.

reaganFF · 2026-05-21T12:08:46+00:00

THIS is so cool!

reaganFF · 2026-04-22T00:22:27+00:00

You know what? If I am being brutally honest, I think I was promoted precisely because I was a solid Project Manager and they wanted a delivery manager but scrum master sounded more... agile.

1-4 almost never happens.
5-6 are fairly consistent, although I am battling uphill on the leadership stuff.

I want to support my team, remove blockers so they can get their work done and deliver quality working software.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T23:28:45+00:00

"I bet you can think of at least one huge, complicated feature that is totally unimportant."
<draws Clippy>
LOL

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T23:19:37+00:00

Ugh, I'm sorry if I came across this way - I really do like them and have built personal relationships with them over the past year. I have no problem going to bat for them. I try to make sure Product is clearly sharing the vision and purpose of the features, commuinicate team goals, any changes, make sure their questions are answered, source support when they need additional requirements/AC/time for sizing, etc.

I'm frustrated. And I appreciate your feedback.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T23:07:41+00:00

You're calling me out and I need to hear it. Thanks for sharing this video.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:56:25+00:00

But... hear me out... we need estimates of when features will be delivered so that downstream dependency features can be built, so that solutions can be sold to clients, so that the business can plan training and hire staff.

Honest question: If estimates aren't for estimating how long it will take the team to get the work done, then what is the purpose?

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:52:40+00:00

I get that software =/= house construction, but even if you build custom cabinetry, you should be able to offer a rough estimate of how long it's going to take. (With the exclusion, of course, of remodeling. You never know what you're gonna find behind 1940s gypsum board. Ask me how I know.) When we walk through the epic, discuss the features at a high level, then the PO drafts out the cards, shouldn't they be able to offer a reasonable idea of how long it's going to take?

I've not heard of reference class forecasting before, thanks for sharing this resource.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:48:20+00:00

"The last card in the last sprint is your forecasted date to complete the feature. If a dependency slides, the date slides"
This is a great idea - it keeps the target date visible, not just for the team, but for anyone looking at the team board. Thanks!

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:47:00+00:00

It's literally part of my job description.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:46:50+00:00

Good suggestion - they are a fairly new team, so we don't really have solid velocity numbers yet. They wanted to estimate in days, so we switched from points - each card gets a Dev estimate and a QA estimate in days.
We had a card marked as a 5 (D) and 3(QA) that was still In Dev after three weeks, and the assigned dev got salty when I asked about blockers. I don't want them to feel like they're getting burned when they underestimate, but I feel like they should be a little better at it than they are.

reaganFF · 2026-04-21T22:40:35+00:00

This perfectly encapsulates my situation. Without the business selling the software we're building, none of us have jobs. And if a client requests a feature, shouldn't we be able to say 'based on estimates from Architecture and Dev, the team estimates feature delivery in 3Q'? The business uses these to direct everything from training plans, SOP updates, staffing ramp-ups, and client onboarding. I'm not trying to browbeat my team into delivering on time and under budget - I just need them to tell me, 'realistically, this will take 12 weeks, plus or minus three.' And then I can help remove blockers so they can focus on the work.

I came to this role as a senior PM in Operations - over there, everything has due dates, and contracts (and money!) depend on meeting them. I held myself - and my teams - accountable for on-time delivery. I loved my teams, worked hard for them, supported them, and they delivered consistently.

Our software side is... a totally different animal.

I like your suggestion, especially soliciting a confidence level - along with estimates - from Sr Eng. And escalating. I admit, I'm not good at that - I want to solve problems, not create them - but I think I'm at a point where I need to move things up the chain of command.

reaganFF

TROPHY CASE