Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

Bora-Care is meant to be applied on all surfaces of raw, unfinished wood so it penetrates all the way to the center of the wood, and will last the lifetime of the wood.

No, Bora-Care is not labeled to treat or prevent mold.  However, we do sell an upgrade version of Bora-Care called Boracare with Mold-Care that is labeled to treat and prevent mold on wood.

One gallon of Bora-Care will treat approximately 100 lineal feet of 2 x 4 stud wall. You would want to make sure the product has completety dried before restacking. This can typically take up to 48 hours 

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.

No, Boracare is not labeled for carpenter bees.

For carpenter bees, we would recommend using our Carpenter Bee Kit. It has everything inside of it to do a complete treatment for bees.

Please also check out our Carpenter Bee Guide for wonderful tips on how to treat and prevent them in the future.

 

Bifen XTS and Dominion 2L should not be mixed for any termite treatments. Neither of these products are a wood treatment product. We do carry Bora-Care for treating wood surfaces. Please take a few moments to review our treatment article on How to Get Rid of Drywood Termites for more information on a successful eradication.

Bora-Care can be applied to any raw wood that is not painted, stained or sealed.  It will only prevent termites from entering the wood that it is applied to.  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 only ensure the termites do not get into the sub-floor.  If you want the hardwood floors protected as well, you should treat those also as long as they are unfinished.  Bora-Care dries on clear and is used for this purpose all of the time, so it is no problem to stain and seal the wood after Bora-Care has been applied.

A few small areas is not a big deal because of how Bora-Care moves through the wood.  However, for best results you should try your best to treat all exposed sides of the wood evenly and thoroughly.

Yes, you can treat the same wood with the Boracare and the previous treatment with the Timbor will have no effect on the absorption. Both products are borate based and become one with the wood after applied. 

Technically speaking, yes, the termites could travel over treated wood to access untreated wood. In most cases though the termites will start trying to infest the wood that is closest to the ground and wood that is very moist whether or not it has been treated with Boracare.

We do not recommend applying Boracare to firewood. Burning any type of insecticide would release the active ingredients into the air. Depending on what you are treating for you could use a granular insecticide like Talstar XTRA up to and around the pile of wood. Please let us know if you have nay further questions.

In order to get the best results, Bora-Care needs to be applied to raw wood and at least one full side of the wood that needs to be treated in order for it to be absorbed, treat and protect the wood. If it’s just squeezed into the cracks and crevices the treatment will not be effective because most of the solution will be left on the painted/stained wood. If you would like to spot treat, then you can spot treat the areas of activity with Jecta, which is a ready to use form of Bora-Care, but you would have to drill into the wood to make the treatment.

You can certainly treat any raw lumber with Boracare before it is stored. If it is stored indoors, then you could apply stain, seal, etc. any time after the Boracare application is dry. If the wood is outdoors or otherwise exposed to rainfall, however, then you would need to apply a water sealant within 3 weeks of the Boracare application so that rainfall does not deplete the Boracare residual.

It is recommended to apply Boracare to all sides of the wood for best results. 

We would recommend using two gallons of Boracare. This product will generally treat about 500 square feet. 

Boracare is not labeled for carpenter bees. A dust, such as Delta Dust, would be an excellent option in the holes. It will make it uninhabitable for the bees to live.  

The idea when actively treating for mold and wood boring pests is to treat the termites first with Bora-Care at a 1:1 ratio and then come behind that and treat with Bora-Care with Mold Care at the 1:5 ratio. Per the manufacturer, this can be done in back to back days. 

Bora-Care is a great choice to treat powder post beetles on raw wood. The product can be purchased and applied by homeowners. The wood can be stained after the product has dried. We cannot comment on why the company refused to treat. For additional information on the product, you may contact the manufacturer at 800.264.0870.

 Per the product label, "Bora-Care solutions may be used on all non-food contact surface cellulosic materials including wood, plywood, particleboard, paper, oriented strand board (OSB), cardboard (non-food packaging material), wood composite structural components, concrete, block, brick, metals, PVC plumbing pipes and other non-cellulosic materials found in structures. 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."

Here is a link to treating drywood termites.  Using Boracare it is not required to drill holes into the wood. The Boracare will penetrate 4in into the wood and last for the life time of the wood if applied to raw unpainted wood.