Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

For furniture your options are limited for treatment. If the wood is in its all natural raw state without any stains or finishes on it you can use a product like Boracare. Boracare will absorb all the way into the wood and eliminate any infestation that is there and last for the life of the wood. It does not stain the wood or leave behind any visible residue, but becomes one with the wood and any insect that ingests it dies. If the furniture has a finish on it, you would either have to drill holes throughout it and inject something like the Boracare or a foam, or the option most go with, hire a company to fumigate it. Please let us know if you have any questions.

The best process would indeed to be strip the finish and apply Boracare. This is the only product that will penetrate through the wood and eliminate the existing infestation and prevent future infestations.

Boracare does not emit any VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the atmosphere. It is safe once dry. If you are concerned about eating on the wood, such as if a table is/was infested, the wood does need to be sealed before using it.

Boracare takes care of any active infestation of wood-destroying insects such as termites, carpenter ants, powderpost beetles, etc. It is possible for the wood to become infested again if it has been exposed to water, if the wood wasn't treated in any way, like if it wasn't stained, after the Boracare treatment dried or if not all exposed sides were treated. 

Although, from the information you provided regarding the termite tunnels, if you're talking about mud tunnels then you are dealing with Subterranean termites. Boracare will still affect them if the eat the wood but the method of treatment to get rid of the colony will be to do a trench treatment around the Perimeter of your home with Termidor. Termidor can't be used indoors unless it's sprayed/foamed inside an enclosed wall void.

If you are sure, however, that you are dealing with Drywood termites, we recommend that you call Nisus (800) 264-0870 to troubleshoot with them as they are the makers of Boracare.

When using Boracare to treat for an active infestation of wood fungus it is applied at a 1:1 ratio for wood that is 4" thick or greater. Use a 3:1 dilution ratio for wood less than 4" in thickness.  You can spot treat the areas that have active fungus and then use the 5:1 for future prevention in the non effected areas.  You should be sure to address the moisture issue in the area before or during treatment of Boracare and apply a vapor barrier after the product has dried. Please see the product label for complete application instructions.

You do not need to drill holes into any beams, but you should treat the entire crawl space.  Most people end up doing that for adequate protection because termites and beetles can travel inside the wood away from the perimeter.  One application of Bora-Care is usually enough, but if you have 8" beams, then you would probably want to do a second application only on the larger beams since anything over 8" thick requires two treatments.  Typically one gallon of Bora-Care will treat up to 500 square feet of surface sub-floor in the crawl space mixing it 1:1 (1 gallon of Bora-Care with 1 gallon of water).

It depends.  We have two main borate treatments.  One is Timbor, which is a powder that you mix with water.  Timbor will leave a white residue because it is a powder.  The best wood treatment borate product on the market is Bora-Care which is made by the same company that makes Timbor.  Bora-Care is the preferred choice because it not only penetrates deeper into the wood and lasts longer, for the life of the wood, but it also dries clear so you can easily paint, stain, or seal whatever it is you are treating.

Boracare applications do not require a special sprayer. You are required to dilute Boracare in a bucket with hot water and then add the dilution to the sprayer. If you dilute Boracare directly in the sprayer you will almost always wind up with a clogged sprayer.

One gallon of Bora-Care with Mold--Care should be mixed with 5 gallons of water which will treat (ballpark) about 1200 square feet of surface wood. So you will probably need 2 gallons of the concentrate.

Foaming would definitely be the best option for your scenario. You mix Bora-Care as you normally would at a 1:1 ratio (one gallon of bora-care with one gallon of water).  After you mix it, pour the solution in the foamer and add Pro-Foam foaming solution.   You want a high expansion foam so you should mix 7 to 10 oz. of Pro-Foam per gallon of bora-care solution that you make.  Then close the lid, shake the foamer, and pump it like you would any other hand pump sprayer.  The Chapin Poly Foamer comes with a coiled hose and ¼ inch tapered nozzle.  You can get the Chapin poly foamer in a 1 gallon model or a 2 gallon model. 

Here are links for you to see:

Two gallon poly foamer:  http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/chapin-poly-foamer-gallon-2659-p-292.html

One gallon poly foamer:  http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/chapin-poly-foamer-gallon-2658-p-495.html

Profoam foaming agent: www.domyownpestcontrol.com/profoam-foaming-concentrate-p-307.html

Hope this helps.  Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Neither Boracare, or any liquid is safe to be sprayed into electrical wiring of any sort. This would be an extreme shock hazard and damage your equipment and wiring. Boracare is strictly a raw natural wood treatment product for wood destroying insects like Termites, Carpenter ants and Powder Post Beetles. If there is a particular pest you are trying to treat for you can let us know and we can recommend a product that can be used in the areas you mentioned.

We would recommend using Boracare with Moldcare as it will treat and prevent mold and wood boring insects. Boracare with Moldcare will treat 1250 square feet of a crawl space or attic when mixed at the labeled rate of 1 gallon of bora-care with mold care and 5 gallons of water. Please see label for complete application directions and yield amounts.

Yes, as long as the cabinets are in their raw natural wood state without any finishes of paints or stains on it, you could apply Boracare to the surface. Once the boracare has dried you would normally put some sort of finish over it to protect the cabinets from scuffs and marks and this will help seal in the Boracare even further. After the boracare has dried and fully absorbed into the wood, you can use the cabinets normally. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Yes, Boracare will penetrate up to 4 inches in the wood. You can foam, spray, or paint the diluted solution.

Currently, the State of New York restricts shipment of all termiticides to your state.

Bora-Care is a concentrate and will require dilution for treatment. The 1:1 ratio would be for any current activity or post construction structure. Please refer to the product label for specific treatment application instructions.

BoraCare does not have a seal on the bottle.

Yes, Boracare can be used as a foam. You should only be concerned about getting the foam near the wood and studs.  Typically when a company foams walls, they 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 will need a foaming agent and a poly foamer. You will mix 2 gallons of hot water with 1 gallon of Boracare.

Boracare will not cause mold and the Boracare with Mold Care is only needed if you are trying to treat for mold that is currently there or to help prevent it in an area like a crawl space that has a moisture problem. 

Yes, Boracare can be shipped to HI. For exact shipping costs, we would recommend calling and speaking to one of our representatives. The phone number is 866-581-7378. Our business hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST. They will need to know the exact quantity you are ordering and your shipping zip code. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.