SHB and Storing Full Supers

I feel lucky not to have seen any SHB yet, but they are inevitable in my area. So I have a question for those who are very familiar with battling SHB in traditional hives.

In the past, it has been my habit to remove supers (non-Flow) and keep them for up to a week while I set up my honey extraction area. My local mentor says that he has spoken to SHB-infested commercial guys, and they can’t do that. They need to do same day extraction, or they risk the supers getting slimed out or full of larvae. Is that likely to be true? I just want to know what might be coming.

Thank you! :blush:

Hi Dawn,
SHB will lay eggs in brood comb mostly. So if your frames are 100% capped it is unlikely that you will have a SHB outbreak. I tend store the frames that I haven’t yet extracted in an old fridge in the garage where I also store my wax. I have to then remember to take them out a few hours before extracting to bring the honey up to room temperature.
Also, SHB eggs will not hatch in low humidity, so if you have a room with air conditioning or a dehumidifier then this can also help to prevent SHB larvae.

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Very helpful, thank you @Rodderick. Normally I would store supers in the garage, but I can see that I might need to bring them into the house, which is air-conditioned (the garage isn’t! :smile:) . Right now, our outside humidity is 70%. No panic for now, but I like to be informed before I get myself into a sticky mess! :blush:

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