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. It should not harm other materials though we would recommend you contact Nisus, the manufacturer at 800-264-0870 to confirm.
Bora-Care is applied at a 1:1 ratio to make two gallons of solution and on average covers about 400-500 sq ft. Could you please provide the dimensions of the wood that will be treated?
Bora-Care can be applied to oriented strand board (OSB) that do has not be painted, stained or sealed per the manufacturer. Please refer to the product label for more detailed information by clicking the link below.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/boracare_label.pdf
You will want to pressure wash, dry, apply Bora-Care (allow to dry) and then seal after.
Boracare should not be hard. When was this product purchased? Did you get this from us?
Please give us a call, and we would be happy to assist you with your product. Our phone number is 866-581-7378. Our hours are Monday-Friday 9-5 EST. You are also welcomed to respond to this email.
Boracare is too thick of a product to be used in any type of fogger. It can be foamed into wall voids or sprayed or painted directly onto raw untreated wood.
Yes it is completely safe to use Boracare in the home on exposed studs as long as only the applicator is in the area while the product is being applied, and until the surface of the studs has dried. This could be as little as a couple of hours or as much as a day depending on how heavily you applied the product.
Bora-Care can ony be applied to raw wood for wood destroying insects. Are you treating for Emerald Ash Borers? Is so, we recommend using Ferti-lome Tree & Shrub Insect Drench.
Boracare should only be used on raw and untreated wood.
You need to be very careful about using any kind of termiticide around a body of water that contains fish or other aquatic life since most termiticides could harm the fish. If you are removing the infested pieces of wood, then you may not need any other treatment for active termites. Something you can do is to use a wood treatment on the new wood and any other raw wood on the bridge and/or the pergola. Boracare can be used on raw wood, then once the Boracare is dry, you would want to use a water sealant to protect the treatment. Be sure that you apply the Boracare away from the water so there is no runoff, overspray, etc. into the water.
Boracare must be applied to raw wood in order for the product to be effective and for it to be absorbed by the wood, so the trunk would have to be sanded if it's painted/stained. If Boracare is only applied to one small area, it would only go up a couple of inches or so. You can use Jecta instead to inject it into the wood, it is a ready to use form of Boracare, but holes must be drilled in order to inject the product into the wood. If these options are not something you want to do because it is an antique, you can speak to an antique dealer for recommendation or have the trunk fumigated by professionals.
For wood-boring insects you can use Bora-Care to treat the studs. Bora-care does not treat for rodents or for surface pests like roaches, spiders, etc. If sheetrock will be added, you can use Cimexa Dust to leave in the wall voids for other insects, using a duster like the Bellow Hand Duster. For rat control, you can use one of our rat control kits like the Protecta LP Rat Bait Stations with Fastrac Blox to place around on the outside of the structure and seal off any possible entry points.
When applying Bora-Care to structural wood in the home, you only need to apply the product once. It will last for the life of the wood. If you are applying to exterior wood like a deck, porch, or fence which is exposed to rainfall, then you would either need to use a water sealant after the Boracare is dry, or you would re-apply Boracare after about 3-5 years.
If Boracare was used correctly by the pest control company, it would only be on the raw wood surfaces within your attic. If any did somehow get on a floor or wall a rag with hot soapy water or a scrub brush dipped in hot soapy water should remove it.
While you can do the Bora-Care on the bottom 2 feet of the studs and sill plates as the walls are built, you should do a perimeter treatment as you mentioned for Subterranean termites. Since Alabama is prone to both Subterranean and Drywood termites, we would recommend trenching around the perimeter with a product like Taurus SC. You may view our Subterranean Termite Treatment Guide for more information about trenching.
Boracare cannot be used in a fogger as it is too thick of a product and will clog nozzles. Foggers cannot penetrate into the wood to contact the termites so is not a recommended treatment method for termites.