Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

Bora-Care can be sprayed in a non-ventilated area but we do recommend wearing a respirator mask in that case.If there is a humidity issue already, we recommend fixing that problem first with a Dehumidifier if the situation calls for one. If there is a risk of mold, you can treat first with Bora-Care, at a 1:1 ratio, and after at least 48 hours you can treat with Bora-Care with Mold-Care, at a 5:1 ratio, to treat or prevent mold.

Yes, Bora-Care can be applied either by spraying or painting with a brush onto the unpainted/raw wood surface.

If you are treating for an active infestation, you will use 1 gallon of Bora-Care to 1 gallon of water. For prevention, 1 gallon of Bora-Care to 5 gallons of water. 

Unfortunately BoraCare will not penetrate through stain either.  You would have to sand the surface stain off of the wood, pressure wash it off, or drill holes into the infested area and inject Bora-Care into the center of the wood.  Those would be the only options. 

Bora-Care should have no effects on caulking as long as you allow plenty of time for the Bora-Care to dry thoroughly before applying the caulk which is usually 24 hours.

Bora-Care is the preferred choice for old house borers and powder post beetles which is probably what you have.  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 like you have done on some of the other wood, 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.

No. Bora-Care can only be used on unfinished or stripped furniture.

You should wait at least 48 hours after the application of Bora-Care before applying stain.

You can use Bora-Care for this application and it will protect this log against any future damage.  However, it is meant only for raw wood, and although there are cracks in the log if you sanded off the stain somehow you would get much better coverage and therefore better protection.  Since it is outside, you should seal the log after applying Bora-Care.  This will allow the product to last longer outside.  If an exterior piece of wood is exposed to weather over the years, water can force the Bora-Care out if it is not properly sealed.

Bora-Care is great for the termite issue in your fence, but when applied outside it is very important to seal the treatment by using a sealant material, like a Thompsons water seal.  Bora-Care can only be applied to raw wood and after it is applied to wood outdoors it must be sealed.  However, you could apply it each year if you wanted to, but it is not necessary if you seal it.

Bora-Care should not be taking that long to dry.  Typically it only takes 24 hours.  Usually when this is the case, it means that too much was applied to the wood.  This may or may not be the case.  We would like you to call the manufacturer, Nisus, as they are the true experts on their own product and can better troubleshoot your situation.  You can reach them at:  Nisus: 800.264.0870

We recommend that you contact Nisus, the manufacturer of Boracare, as they are the experts on their own product and they may have the specific information you are seeking. You can reach Nisus by calling 800-264-0870.

Bora-Care would definitely be what you want to use.  You can lay the boards out, spray or paint on the Bora-Care solution, flip the board and treat the other side, and then stack it.  Should not be an issue.  How for the bora-care goes depends on the thickness of the wood.  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 table tells you how many lineal feet a DILUTED gallon will treat.  Since you mix Bora-Care 1 gallon to 1 gallon of water which makes 2 gallons of diluted solution, you will double the figure shown.  For instance, it says if you have 2 x 4 wood it will treat 600 lineal feet.  You will double this amount so you will be able to treat 1200 lineal feet of 2 x 4.

First identify them as either Subterranean or drywood termites. If drywood termites Boracare is usually chosen if you need to protect the wood for long term control of wood infesting pests. Boracare penetrates into untreated wood and will eliminate current infestations of termites and it will prevent infestations of termites, carpenter ants, powderpost beetles and wood destroying fungus when used as directed on the Product Label. If Sub-termites you may want to use a termite foam such as Termidor Foam.

If you are having subterranean termite activity, boracare is not the product you need to use. You need to treat the home with a product like Termidor and trench around the foundation. You can see all the instruction for how a homeowner would kill and prevent infestations on their own with the Termidor in our instructions for How To Do A Termite Treatment. Boracare is only to be used on wood in its raw natural state and applying it to mulch would not repel the termites nor would it stay in the mulch very long being exposed to the outdoor elements. The termites were undoubtably attracted to the home because of the mulch as it is a prime environment for them to thrive in a heavily moisture containing wood area. We always discourage home owners from using mulch around the house and if you must use it, you need to keep a 6 inch barrier of just dirt between the foundation of the home and where the mulch starts. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Boracare is a viscus solution so it could have the potential to clog your sprayer. Please contact the manufacturer Nisus at 800-264-0870 to verify Boracare will not clog your specific sprayer.

You will need to either open the wall completely and spray or paint the studs with the mixed solution of Boracare, or use a termite injection tool to inject it directly into the wood. Another option would be to use an expanding foam like Termidor Foam or Premise Foam to drill holes on either side of the studs and inject it in to run down and expand around the stud, or drill holes into the studs in search of the galleries they have eaten away and shoot the foam into these spots for direct treatment. If you have drywood termites these treatment methods should get rid of the entire colony in the wall. If you have subterranean termites you will need to do a trench treatment to properly eliminate the infestation and protect your home. You can see the directions and products needed to complete the treatment in our article called How To Do A Termite Treatment. Please let us know if you have any questions.

You can not mix Bifen I/T with Boracare and there would be no reason to with the areas you are treating. Mixing the two products together can reduce the effectiveness of the ingredients and Bifen could hinder the penetration of the wood of the Boracare. If you are treating for Drywood Termites you would treat the raw wood directly with Boracare at either a 1:1 ratio for active infestation or 5:1 for preventative and allow the wood to dry. The Boracare will last for the life of the wood to protect it from future infestations of wood destroying insects and wood destroying fungus. If you are treating for subterranean termites, you could use Bifen I/T for a treatment around the foundation but a better product would be a non-repellant termiticide like Termidor which would last twice as long in the soil and has a transfer effect to spread to the entire colony. If you already have Bifen you could use it to do a direct spot treatment on a colony in a wall void but for the soil treatments Termidor would be a better solution. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Boracare would be a great option for any exposed raw wood surfaces as it will last for the life of the wood and is not in direct shot of rain. However, if you are dealing with subterranean termites, which it sounds like by your reference to mud tunnels, you would need to treat the soil around the base of the structure to eliminate the colony as the Boracare will not get rid of the ones in the ground. Termidor is the number one product on the market for termite control and will eliminate both the termites currently in the soil around the structure and inside the structure, but will also protect it from any future infestations for at least the next 10 years. You can see our article on How To Do A Termite Treatment for the steps you would take to eradicate the colony and protect your structure without having to lift it higher from the ground. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Drywood termites are usually very localized and can be treated by removing the infested wood and replacing it. If you choose to keep the wood you will need to treat it with a product such as Boracare. The wood must be unpainted, unstained or untreated. If the wood has been painted, stained or treated in any way you will need to sand it down to apply a product such as Boracare. Boracare will penetrate into the wood to kill existing termites. After 72 hours the wood should be sealed to sela in the boaracare. Boracare will then last the life of the wood.