No, Bora-Care can only be used on raw, untreated, unsealed wood. If you are trying to treat wood that is already stained or sealed, you either have to sand the finish off completely or your only other option is to drill holes in the areas that you see damaged and inject the Bora-Care directly into the wood; bypassing the stained layer.
Bora-Care can be applied to raw, natural wood and penetrate 4 inches into the wood surfaces. It is recommended to apply to all sides of the wood for the best results. You will mix it at a 1:1 ratio for active drywood termites and it should be diluted with hot water in a separate container and mixed completely first. After it is mixed properly, you can add it to your spray tank for application. Please refer to the link below for the application chart based on dimensions.
Bora-Care can take up to 90 days to completely penetrate through all of the wood to where all of the termites are. Bora-Care does not kill the termites by touch. The termites walking on the wood are not effected. Bora-Care kills the termites by ingestion. After the Bora-Care has moved through the wood, the termites that are still in the wood will die when they continue to eat and ingest the Bora-Care with the wood. You should treat all exposed sides of the wood that you can get to. One treatment is normally enough unless the wood you are treating is more than 8 inches thick. The termites will not spread easily to other areas so that is not a concern.
Boracare really is designed to only be applied to raw wood that has no finish or treatment on it of any kind. The linseed oil may prevent the Borcare from penetrating into the wood of the door. If you can sand some of it off (depending on how deep the oil penetrated into the door), you may be able to apply the Boracare with sucess, however we cannot guarantee it will soak in the way its intended since the oil has been applied.
Boracare is only labeled to be used directly on wood so this should not be used on a concrete wall or paver. For your concrete areas against the home, you will need to get the termiticide underneath the concrete against the foundation. To do this you will need a hammer drill with a 1/2" x 18" drill bit. You drill holes throughout the concrete about 3-4 inches away from the wall or foundation, and about every 10"-12" apart. Once the holes are drilled, you fill at the same rate you did the trench, 4 gallons per 10 feet. To fill these, we would recommend using the one gallon sprayer on a "pin stream" setting so you can force the liquid down the hole and not splash it everywhere. You can also use a funnel and pour the termiticide down the holes. It is difficult to get 4 gallons per 10 feet in the holes, so it is important that you use a long drill bit, at least 18" long so you can bore out enough dirt to hold the termiticide. Once the holes are filled all you need to do is patch them with a concrete patch filler you can buy at Home Depot or you can use our Trebor plugs that will close the hole with no concrete mess.
Boracare should come off with a soap and hot water mixture and a little scrubbing to make the pavers look normal again. It will not harm the pavers and will degrade over time as it is only meant to bond long term to wood surfaces.
No, Boracare will not kill spiders or any other crawling pests except those that would chew on treated wood. We would suggest using Delta Dust in the crawl space for spiders.
There is no reason why BORACARE would not work when applied over Concrobium. We always recommend to take care of the mold first then treat with Boracare.
We cannot guarantee the effectiveness of BORACARE past 3 years. We would recommend to purchase fresh product.
If wood treated with Boracare is regularly exposed to moisture, then this exposure can absolutely start to break down the Boracare residual and leave the wood vulnerable to fungus or other damage. For best control, you should always aim to permanently correct any moisture issues in the area.
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 separate and freeze
You really want to avoid applying any product in below freezing temperatures because the water part of the mixture can separate and freeze.
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When using Boracare as a foam it will penetrate into the wood, as long as there is not insulation to block the product from getting onto the wood. When foaming for termites, don't be concerned about foaming an entire wall void. You should only be concerned about getting the foam near the wood and studs. Drill holes at the top of the ceiling on either side of the studs and foam down the stud from the ceiling. This way you have gravity working in your favor and you are getting the foam against the wood which is all that matters.
You can turn BoraCare into a foam by mixing a foaming agent with it: Pro Foam. The amount you mix with it will determine if it will be a high or low expansion foam. You would need a foamer applicator to apply this product - Chapin Poly Foamer.
Using Termidor Foam is also an effective way to treat active termite colonies inside wall voids. This works different thatn Boracare as it will only sit on the wood and not absorb into the wood.
Yes, you can use Boracare on any raw wood. Boracare protects wood from wood-infesting insects like termites, carpenter ants, and wood-boring beetles, plus wood decay fungus. You can apply Boracare at a 5:1 dilution rate with water for preventative wood treatment. Apply with a sprayer, paint brush, or roller. When treating exterior wood such as a fence, you should apply a water sealant after the Boracare has tried completely.
Bora-Care is safe if it is applied to raw wood when the pets are not present. Once the treated surfaces have completely, it is safe for them to returned to the treated areas/surfaces.
Bora-Care can be applied to any raw wood that is not painted, stained or sealed so yes it can be brushed on to the underside of the flooring. It will only prevent termites from entering the wood that it is applied to and will penetrate up to 4 inches with one application. It should be applied until the wood is just wet but not dripping. Most of the time termites would have to eat through the sub-floor to get into the hardwood floors above, but there is no 100% guarantee that the termites will enter this way. Treating the sub-floor would also ensure the termites do not get into the sub-floor as well. If you want the hardwood floors better protected, you should treat all exposed wood also as long as they are unfinished. Please see page 10 of the Bora-Care label. Table A on page 10 will tell you how many lineal feet of board the bora-care will treat based on thickness. The tabel tells you how many lineal feet a DILUTED gallon will treat
The Bora-Care is currently only available in the gallon size.
The advantage of doing a tenting treatment is that it will kill all the insects in the home at the time of treatment. Since drywood termites have one colony all in one place, this would eliminate all colonies present without necessarily having to locate all of them. Obviously cost and time can be a concern with this type of treatment. Plus, tenting does not provide any kind of prevention, so a Boracare treatment on raw wood is a great idea for prevention. If you are going to treat yourself, then you would use signs like frass and kickout holes to locate where the live termites are in the structure, and you would spot treat each of those areas. I recommend using a foam termiticide such as FUSE Foam to spot treat live termite activity in the structure. It is not recommend to spot treat only using Boracare. Boracare is a unique product in that it absorbs into the wood and stays present for the life of the wood, so it is really one of the only things you can do for prevention of drywood termites.
We have more tips in our Drywood Termite Treatment Guide here.
If you have subterranean termites, we would recommend doing a trench around the home. You will dig a 6 inch by 6 inch around the structure of the home. We would recommend using Termidor SC. You will use 0.8 fl. oz. per gallon of water. You will use 4 gallons of solution per 10 lineal feet. The termites travel in the walls and will be eradicated within 90 days.
