Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

Boracare can be used to treat for wood destroying insects and fungus. Boracare is to be applied to raw wood that will last for the lifespan of the wood itself. Please review the product label for further information.

You will need to wait until the Bora-Care has dried before hanging sheet rock.  Once the wood the Bora-Care was applied to is no longer tacky to the touch, it is dry and sheet rock can be put up. 

The Bora-Care is currently only available in the gallon size.

Powderpost Beetle Control Article

No,  Boracare is not labeled for carpenter bees.

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

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

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.

Bora-Care mixed at 1:5 ratio would not be strong enough to eliminate an active termite infestation.  This requires a 1:1 ratio.  

You want the siding to be dry when you are applying Boracare per the label. It needs to be able to soak in to the dry wood.

Unfortunately, Boracare is not labeled to be used as a perimeter treatment on concrete. It is lableled to be used on cellulosic materials including wood, plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, cardboard, and wood composite structural componets only. 

If you are seeing white residue after applying Boracare, then there are a few possible causes. What usually happens is that either the Boracare was not mixed properly before it was applied, or too much product was applied to wood. Another possibility is that the Boracare did not have enough time to dry completely before the poly coating was applied. Typically Boracare dries in 24-48 hours. You can remove excess Boracare using soap and water, but we would try to avoid doing this unless there is clearly too much product applied. Another condition that could cause strange drying is if you are trying to apply Boracare to wood that has already been treating with paint, stain, sealant, oil, or another finish.

You could sand wood that has been treated with BORACARE as long as it is completely dry.

Boracare can be used as long as the tiki hut is not over water and the wood is not sealed or stained. The ratio that you will use the product at the 1:1 ratio. You will need to inject the product into the kickout holes and then topically spray. You will need to spray all the wood. Be sure to seal the wood on the tiki hut once the product has dried completely.

When using Bora-Care children should be out of the area while sparying, and untl the product dries. We would recommend that for pregnant women as well.

No, Bora-Care,  like any other borate product cannot be used on trees or plants.  Borate's will kill any living plant, shrub, grass or tree.  You might want to look at Talstar P.  It is typically used on trees for beetles.  It cannot be applied directly on the product you are harvesting but it can be applied to the bark and tree and it will not harm the tree itself.

BoraCare can be used indoors safely.  It is considered a green product and is made from natural products.  BoraCare is only meant to be applied on wood.  It can only be raw wood, meaning the studs in your wall.  It cannot be applied to painted wood, or sealed wood, only raw, untreated wood.  When treating drywood termites you would have to drill holes through your sheetrock where the holes are that the termites are kicking the droppings out, and drill into the stud.  This is where the termites are.  You would inject the wood with the boracare after mixing it with water.  Typically you would do this using a one gallon hand pump sprayer.  You should drill a hole every 6 inches up the stud to ensure good coverage.  If you have any specific questions, please feel free to call us at 866-581-7378. 

Bora-Care should be applied by a hand pump sprayer or painted on as suggested on the label.  Bora-Care is a very thick product and when applied through fine nozzles like a mister or a paint sprayer, it has been known to clog the nozzles on these sprayers.  It is meant to be applied through larger openings in hand pump sprayers or painted on.

You will need to paint or seal treated wood that is exposed to the elements to avoid having the product degrade.

Bora-Care will take up to 30 days or more to penetrate all the way through the wood.  It will only kill active beetles that are eating.  If there are dormant beetles that are not active, but become active later, let's say next year, you could see new activity at that time, but they will die once they start eating since Bora-Care stays in the wood forever.  It is common to see activity at a later date since beetles are not all active at the same time.

You can certainly use Boracare on your fence. Any areas that have an active infestation of powder post beetles will need to be treated at the rate of 1:1 and all other areas where there is no activity can be used 5:1. Once the Boracare has been applied to the fence, you will need to seal/stain/paint it to keep the rain from slowly washing it away over the years. If sealed, the Boracare will last for the life of the wood after application. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

You can use Termidor to if you can drill to the site of the termites to ensure the termites will come in contact with the termiticide. A second option would be to use a wood treatment like Boracare. Boracare can be painted, sprayed, or foamed and will penetrate up to 4 inches into the wood but the wood will need to be sanded first and treated. The wood could be painted, stained and sealed after the product dries. If sealed, it will last for the life of the wood. Please refer to the product label as to what  application and mixing ratios.