Bora-Care 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 infesting. This can be done with something like Dominion 2L or a foam like Termidor Foam.
When treating for powder post beetles, it is important to know that you may still see some beetles emerge even after you've treated with Bora-Care. This could be because the product may not have reached the center of the wood yet, or because there were still some dormant beetles at the time of application. With Bora-Care, the powderpost beetles do have to consume the wood in order to die. If you are still seeing activity, this means they are consuming the wood and dying. Any wood treated with Bora-Care, however, will be protected from any new damage. There is no need to treat again.
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.
Bora-Care should only be applied to raw wood that does NOT contain epoxy, sealants, varnishes, paints, stains, etc.
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.
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.
Bora-Care is a one-time treatment unless the wood is removed or water conditions like exposure to rainfall or flooding weaken the treatment. If you are applying 2 coats of Bora-Care because you can only access 1 or 2 sides of the wood to be treated, then you need to wait at least 20 minutes between coats, allowing the Bora-Care to absorb before applying the second coat.
Yes, it is fine to use any kind of insulation once the Boracare application is dry, typically in about 24-48 hours. Boracare will not interfere with an insulation application unless you do not allow the Boracare to be completely dry.
We would recommend giving the Bora-Care at least 24 to 48 hours to dry completely. Factors that could prevent the Boracare from drying complete within that time frame include applying to finished or treated wood, failing to mix the product completely before application, mixing too much Boracare concentrate for the amount of water (less than 1:1 dilution), or extreme weather conditions such as a very cold or humid environment. If the wood is very old and the moisture content is very low, that would also prevent the Boracare from absorbing as quickly or easily. If you applied the Boracare to raw wood surfaces, then it should eventually dry. It is common to continue to see some beetle activity after Boracare application since the Boracare cannot completely prevent dormant beetles from emerging. If you still have concerns about the texture after several days, you can also give Nisus (the manufacturer) a call for assistance at 800-264-0870.
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.
It is best to apply Bora-Care to wood that is free from dust or other debris.
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.
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.
Yes, any primer can be applied after using Bora-care. We would recommend waiting until the product has dried completely before applying the primer.
We recommend waiting at least 3 days before sealing/painting (but no longer than 6 weeks) after applying Boracare.
Yes, the logs should be dry before applying Bora-Care.
We apologize, but we are not sure where you can purchase Bora-Care locally. We do carry the product and we offer fast, free shipping.
