Our liquid concentrate Taurus SC would be a great non-repellent that is great for soil applications for subterranean termites and is successful in termite colony eradication . Bora-Care alone will kill the dry wood termites very effectively. Non-repellents do not kill on contact. They have a delay kill which is what you want for termites. Bora-Care will kill termites much faster than a non-repellent product which can take up to 90 days to kill the termite colony. We suggest just using Bora-Care since it is the #1 treatment on the market for dry wood termites. For more helpful information, please check out our treatment article on How to Get Rid of Drywood Termites.
Apply Bora-Care solutions only to bare wood, plywood, particleboard and other cellulosic materials where an intact water-repellent barrier, such as paint, stain or sealer, is not present. The glue should not pose any issues. If you can treat all sides that is always better, but one side would be suffficient if there is not access to all sides.
Wood treated with Bora-Care will appear darker than normal for a few days until the chemical dries. Typically it only takes 24 - 48 hours for the product to dry and not be sticky. If it is not drying within this time frame, it usually means that too much of the product was applied to the wood. You could lightly sand the wood to remove the stickiness and then apply your finishing oil.
If you know that you have termites or carpenter ants in treated wood, then we would recommend spot treating with a non-repellent insecticide that will transfer throughout the colony, such as Fuse Foam. Fuse Foam is a ready-to-use product that has a foaming agent to help it expand and fill galleries. You would need to use the kickout holes as a guide to drill into the termite/ant gallery so that you can get at least some of the product in direct contact with the live insects. The product then works slowly enough to get transferred throughout the whole insect colony and cause collapse. If you prefer a Borate product, then we recommend the ready-to-use formulation of Boracare called Jecta. Jecta is designed for spot treatments.
Boracare should not be applied to food contact surfaces. If there were overspray on sinks, countertops, floors, etc., then you could wipe up the excess with a disposable cloth and then clean the area with warm, soapy water. To prevent contamination in the future, it is recommended to cover non-target surfaces with a tarp or drop cloth before applying Boracare indoors.
When applying Bora-Care the wood should be thoroughly sprayed, but not until runoff. Be sure the wood you are applying to is in a raw form with no paint on the surface. This product should be applied only to raw wood. Be sure to check out our Termite Guide.
Yes, allowing Boracare to freeze can make it ineffective. It should be stored in a controlled temperature area out of direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. You also want to avoid applying any product in below freezing temperatures because the water part of the mixture can sparate and freeze.
Powderpost Beetles are a pest that can often cause residual damage long after you have treated. The Boracare application you would have completed on the wood would be correct for treating and protecting the raw wood surfaces and having it absorb into the wood. Since powder post beetles lay their eggs inside the wood and the eggs could lay dormant for up to 30 years, you may see random signs of the pest anywhere in the time frame that you have the wood. Boracare will keep any new beetles from boring into the wood and kill them through ingestion of the wood if they try, and it will kill any beetles/larvae within the wood that try to eat their way through it or out of it. Boracare works through ingestion, so wood destroying pests would have to ingest the wood to get the product in their system to die from it. This means that any signs you are seeing now are beetles that are eating their way out of the wood and ingesting the Boracare and dying from it. Since there isnt a way to know how many eggs were left in the wood there isnt a way to know how long or how often you may see these signs pop up.
After Boracare has been applied to raw wood for treatment, you would just need to wait until the wood has dried before painting and installing it. No other treatments or repellents would be needed.
Yes, you can apply paint or stain (oil or water based) to the wood 48 hours after it has been treated with Bora-Care.
Once Bora-Care has dried completely on the raw, unfinished wood, you can seal, stain or paint with whatever product you would like. There are no restrictions on what you can use once the product is dry.
Bora-Care is a very safe product and it is considered a green product as well. Typically, it takes about an hour for the surface of the wood to dry. After application has dried completely, it should be perfectly fine for children and pets to re-enter the house. Please read the BoraCare product label for complete usage instructions. Boracare does have to be applied to raw, untreated, unpainted wood.
As long as the top is sealed then you can safely apply Boracare to the underside if unsealed and it will penetrate through the wood. It would be recommended to allow the butcher block to dry for 24-48 hours before using again. Any food contact surfaces treated with Boracare must have a sealant applied after the Boracare has dried.
No Bora-Care, like any other borate product, cannot be used on trees or plants. It is for cut lumber only. Borates will kill any living plant, shrub, grass or tree. Termites do not attack live, healthy trees. If you have termites in a tree you would need to treat the nest directly by drilling holes into the dead parts of the tree where the colony is infested. This can be done with something like Dominion 2L. Most people are primarily concerned with protecting the big investment, their home, and Dominion or or Termidor would be the best product to use for that. Termidor is the top product and can last 10 years in the soil, whereas Dominion will only last 5-7 years. It is only labeled to be used adjacent to the structure, though.
Borcare can be applied to untreated wood only.
No, Boracare should only be mixed with water and applied to raw wood.
Any untreated or unstained wood, including plywood, would benefit from an application of Boracare to help protect it from wood infesting pests, fungi and dry rot. If you do have an active infestation of pests in the wood Boracare would be the best treatment for that as well before you stain. When treating wood that may be exposed to rainfall, be sure to apply a water sealant after the Boracare application has dried.
Boracare should only be applied directly to wood. We would recommend using something like Termidor Foam in the wall voids. This product will be injected at the studs of the wall. Termidor Foam is a non-repellent so the termites do not know they are coming in contact with it. You can drill holes in the stud every 10-12 inches apart. This product has a residual of 3 months.
