Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

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.

The Boracare product label states that it does not have an odor.  

Bora-Care is a very safe product and it is considered a green product as well.  Typically, it takes about an hour for the surface of the wood to dry.  After application has dried completely, it should be perfectly fine for children and pets to re-enter the house.

You can use Bora-Care on any raw wood inside or outside your home, including hardwood floors.  However, it can only be applied on raw wood.  You CANNOT apply Bora-Care to any wood that is painted, stained, or sealed.  So unless your hardwood floors are unfinished, you cannot spray them with Bora-Care.  If your flooring is already finished with a stain and sealant, then you either have to sand off the finish and the re-finsh after applying Bora-Care, or you can drill holes into the infested pieces and inject Bora-Care.

Yes, you can still treat wood that is painted with Bora-Care by injecting it, however it does require quite a few holes.  You should drill holes every 6 inches apart in a diamond pattern into the center of the wood and inject the Bora-care into all of the holes.  It helps to drill at a downward angle so the Bora-care does not run out of the holes due to gravity.  So, you would drill holes in the center of the wood, and then also another row of holes near the top and the bottom which will form a diamond pattern.

Bora-Care can take up to 90 days to completely penetrate through all of the wood to where all of the termites are.  Bora-Care does not kill the termites by touch.  The termites walking on the wood are not effected.  Bora-Care kills the termites by ingestion.  After the Bora-Care has moved through the wood, the termites that are still in the wood will die when they continue to eat and ingest the Bora-Care with the wood.  You should treat all exposed sides of the wood that you can get to.  One treatment is normally enough unless the wood you are treating is more than 8 inches thick.  The termites will not spread easily to other areas so that is not a concern.

You can use Boracare on pressure treated wood as long as there is no stain, sealant, or paint on the wood. If the wood treated with Boracare is outside exposed to the elements, then you want to apply a water sealant after the Boracare has dried.

For furniture your options are limited for treatment. If the wood is in its all natural raw state without any stains or finishes on it you can use a product like Boracare. Boracare will absorb all the way into the wood and eliminate any infestation that is there and last for the life of the wood. It does not stain the wood or leave behind any visible residue, but becomes one with the wood and any insect that ingests it dies. If the furniture has a finish on it, you would either have to drill holes throughout it and inject something like the Boracare or a foam, or the option most go with, hire a company to fumigate it. Please let us know if you have any questions.

The best process would indeed to be strip the finish and apply Boracare. This is the only product that will penetrate through the wood and eliminate the existing infestation and prevent future infestations.

Boracare does not emit any VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the atmosphere. It is safe once dry. If you are concerned about eating on the wood, such as if a table is/was infested, the wood does need to be sealed before using it.

Yes, you can apply the rubberized flashing after application of BORACARE. Be sure to wait 72 hours to make the application. This will give Boracare enough time to penetrate into the wood and dry. 

Boracare is not labeled for roaches.  It would be best to use products that are specifically labeled for them, such as the ones that are found in our roach control kits.

If the dining table is raw wood with no paint or finish on it, yes Boracare can be used. You will use it at the rate of 1:1. This can either be sprayed on or painted on. You can also use Jecta in the holes where you have seen activity if the wood does have finish or paint on it. You must finish food-handling surfaces such as dining tables that have treated with Boracare.

BORACARE can safely be used on the board as long as you stain after it has dried.

Boracare should only be used to prevent carpenter ants. We do not recommend using it to treat and active infestation. You can treat and active infestation by using something like Carpenter Ant Bait or by treating directly with a product like Phantom Aerosol or Termidor Foam.

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

If you are able to, you can sand or strip the paint/stain off the wood and apply Boracare. If this is not an option, then you can inject a product like Jecta into the damaged areas.

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 can certainly be applied to a deck and it lasts for the life of the wood if it is not exposed to rain, continuous water or ground contact. The amount of time Boracare lasts in the wood will depend upon those factors. In your case, we would recommend using a sealant of some kind after the application of Boracare. Do not expose treated exterior wood surfaces to rain or snow for at least 48 hours after treatment. For longer performance, exterior wood surfaces will require a topcoating with a water-resistant finish such as paint or exterior stain. Apply within 6 weeks of treatment. Boracare must dry completely (at least 48 hours) before applying any protective topcoat. If there is a current infestation, you will do a 1:1 application of Boracare. If this is just for preventative measure, you will do 5:1 application. Make sure the water is very hot when you are spraying it.