Unless a dye was added to the Bora-Care at the time of application, you would not be able to tell if the wood in your crawlspace has been treated or not.
Bora-Care can be applied to log cabins or other wood surfaces that are in its natural form without a finish, varnish, sealant, paint or stain. Otherwise the solution will not penetrate into the wood to target the listed pests.
Powderpost beetles can lay dormant for years in the wood and Boracare will not kill them until they are actively feeding. Even after applying a product like Boracare to all sides of the infested raw wood (ideal situation) you can often still see signs of activity of the powder post beetles for a few years after treatment. This is because the product works through ingestion so as the larvae emerge from the wood (which is whenever they are good and ready) they eat the wood on their way out and ingest it and die. No new adults will be able to leave them in any holes in the wood as again, once they ingest it they will die.
Placing treated wood in a sealed bag will not increase the speed at which this happens. If it is just one piece of furniture that is infested and you want a quicker kill, you can also contact local furniture finishers or pest control operators who may offer a heat chamber. Heating the furniture up to over 140 degrees for several hours will any pest that is inside where dormant or not.
Bora-Care would be the best product to use for dry rot. Bora-Care, can only be applied to raw wood. It can not be applied to any wood that is painted, stained, or sealed.
Bora-Care can be used on raw, untreated wood surfaces indoors and is safe for kids and pets once dry.
Regular Bora-Care does not treat or prevent mold in the wood, only wood decay fungus and wood-destroying insects. For mold remediation or prevention, you should use Boracare with MoldCare. This product needs to be applied directly to the wood to be absorbed, so if the insulation is blocking the wood, then you do need to remove it before spraying. Boracare with MoldCare does not remove stains, so if you want to remove any stains or other discoloration, you can treat the wood first with Mold Clean.
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.
For any left over mixture of Bora-Care, we recommend that you contact your local city or county sanitation department for proper disposal instructions in your area as they can vary. Your brush can be washed with soap and water or you can dispose of it as well.
Bora-Care is too thick of a liquid to be used in any type of fogger. It can be foamed into wall voids, or sprayed or painted directly onto raw, untreated wood only. If you cannot directly access the wood that needs to be treated, foaming with Bora-Care normally is the best solution, although it will only penetrate into wood that it is directly contacting.
Yes, you can apply Bora-Care to the plywood in this area as long as the plywood has not been treated with anything else.
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.
There is no need to turn off the power when foaming wall voids with Bora-Care, unless you have exposed or damaged wires in the wall. For patching the holes you could do that immediately or if you have a lot of insulation you could wait 24 hrs to patch.
Yes Boracare can be used as a foam in wall voids. 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. For raw, untreated wood that you're able to access, you would apply Bora-Care by itself at a 1:1 ratio.
You can drop cloths that have been soaked in hot water on areas where overspray occurred to lift to the residue from your Bora-Care treatment off the laminate flooring.
Yes. Bora-Care can be applied to new, green wood. Just keep in mind that the dry time may take longer than older, seasoned wood since the green wood contains more moisture than seasoned wood.
