Customer Reviews for Bora-Care

I don't know whether this works or not. I will say it's difficult to impossible to use if you don't have anything to stir with other than a paint stick. It does not spray well since we couldn't get it to mix with water, and we did follow directions (ie add to water, not the other way around). So it got dribbled rather than sprayed and coverage was therefore poor. I'd recommend painting with it, so you can spread it better. However, our place is on a barrier island, and once we're there by water taxi, what we don't have, we don't have.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments! We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. The Boracare is best to mix with an impeller-type mixer like one you would use to mix paint. You can then apply it with a sprayer, brush, or roller. We appreciate your feedback and your business!

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12 of 13 people found this review helpful

I drenched the wood beams in my barn and the termites came back after a couple of months.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments! We are sorry that you have not seen the results you expected from the Boracare treatment. There are many factors that can contribute to termites returning. You did not mention whether you have drywood termites, subterranean termites, or both. We would be happy to troubleshoot with you over the phone: you can reach us at 866-581-7378.

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12 of 13 people found this review helpful

I sprayed most of termite damaged ridge boards, open frames, attic, under floor, etc., but it looks like termites keep coming back from ground and still inside of walls. I found out that I have more subterranean termite damages than drywood termites. I might need to pour Termidor mix into ground later but I need to prevent whatever damages already have done. I am not sure whether it is working or not but I am praying on Bora-Care to work as others mentioned. I need to find out how to penetrate inside of walls with foam filled.

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11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Someone should warn buyers. This stuff is so thick that it WILL plug up a garden sprayer. It does not mix with water easily and you will get a plugged up sprayer. It is super thick.. much thicker than honey.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your response! Boracare is a very thick liquid, which is why the mixing instructions on the product label advise to use an impeller-type mixer to mix your solution in a separate container first, and then put your finished solution into your sprayer. If you try to mix the product by shaking right in your sprayer, you will not get a consistent solution. Please let us know if we can further assist you!

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10 of 10 people found this review helpful

I am very familiar with Bora-Care as I have used it on my log cabin to be rid of powder post beetles, and prevent future attacks. This purchase was for helping a friend who had gutted his old house for renovation. I recommended he treat his framing, rafters, and joists with Bora-Care and he agreed. The product is very viscous and must be mixed in a bucket before putting it in a sprayer. I used a cheap garden pump-sprayer. Bora-Care is easy to clean up with water and when dried, leaves a slight powdery residue on the wood. I recommend it.

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9 of 9 people found this review helpful

It's been two weeks now since spraying on, mixed 1:1. Our home is mostly wood floors, walls and ceilings. Covered the floors, forgot about the windows, was a sticky mess to clean up, but oh well :-) Have not seen any teensy, eensy wood shavings on my counters or tables. This stuff kills and it's supposed to last for years. It took 4 gallons, sprayed on, to cover about 1800 square feet. Worth it! Saved us about $5000, according to the bug guy who came out. They would've had to tent the house! Shipping was FAST! Thank you guys, hope we never have those little critters that can lay dormant for over a year, again, but if so, we know who to buy from.

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9 of 9 people found this review helpful

I just applied this to a timber frame that has minor powder post beetle damage on two timbers (out of more than 100). I used up the entire gallon in a 1:1 mix to treat the frame. One thing that helped a lot, I could tell, was using hot water (probably 110 degrees F or so) to mix it. It dissolves much faster in the hot water. I am impressed at how well it wets the dry wood. I'll know whether it worked next July, but based on how well it seemed to penetrate, I'm pretty optimistic.

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8 of 9 people found this review helpful

We had termites on the plywood under our roof / ratio decking. We demo the roof /patio done to the plywood which was infected, remove the ply wood and re-enforce the 2 by 12's as necessary and brought the roof up to earthquake standards. Everything was sprayed. I also used the suggested sprayer and hot water and about a 3 to one ratio. Everything was as advertised, so far so good. I would suggest that a thin caulking with Borocare be invented as plywood never aligns perfectly and their are alway places to caulk. I will be purchasing my second gallon when we pull up the rest of the roof after the rains have turned to sunshine.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments. Boracare can be applied with a paintbrush or roller in areas where it may be difficult to spray. There is also a ready-to-use formulation of Boracare called Jecta that is excellent for spot treatments or areas that are otherwise challenging to treat: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/jecta-p-931.html

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8 of 8 people found this review helpful

We used the Boracare for powder post beetles & termites. We used it in a mister w/ a extra long extension cord to plug out side as our crawl space is not more than 3' for 1/2 of our house & 6' in the back 1/2. We took the advice of the sales lady from the company who told us to be sure to use an electric drill w/ a paddle to stir for 15 min. It worked perfectly & did the job. No clogging just be sure to wash your mister after using. C. Decker

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8 of 8 people found this review helpful

I closely followed the instructions for mixing and applying Bora Care. I had one spot in my crawlspace where I had one tremite tube going up one of my piers into the floor framing. I bought enough Bora Care to treat my entire floor framing and applied. The area that had active damage where I could actually see termites crawling, i applied a very heavy application and also throughly saturated the fooring pier where their tube was. I re inspected a week later and found they rebuilt their tube that I had removed and were doing just fine up in the floor structure. I spent a bunch of money and time on a product that did nothing.

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8 of 8 people found this review helpful

After noticing some saw dust like shavings in an open out building and some large round fly like critters entering some holes about 3/8" dia in the wood, I decided to do something about it. I sprayed BORA-CARE on the wood around the area and had some over spray on other wood. the next day I noticed a completely different fly like critter all over. Old house beetles had exited and were caught in the windows. I then sprayed it all and couldn't believe the exellent results of elimating both of types of beetles. This is the best and easiest product to use and I will keep some on hand to use when necessary in the future. I just ordered another BORA-CARE. Thanks so much for your promt curtious service and professional advice.

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

The product is a thick liquid about the consistency of hand lotion. I painted it on with a brush and it stayed on top of the wood for about two days. Most products stay on the surface and never reach the termites inside the wood. The fact that Bora-Care soaks in and reaches termites inside the wood is very important. After two days it was dry and paintable. I haven't seen a single termite since I used Bora-Care.

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7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Boracare claims to soak deep into wood to get the beetles that are nesting inside. I had to use 2 to 3 times more than necessary because the spray had a hard time soaking into the wood even pushing a roller after the spraying. Most of the Boracare ended up dripping onto the floor of my garage instead of soaking into the garage walls/beams. Afterwards I test sprayed Boracare on the side of a brand new 2 x 4 and could see looking at the end grain, that it had barely soaked into the side. So hopefully Boracare on the surface of the wood will help, because I don't see it soaking deep into the wood like it claims.

  Expert response:
Boracare soaks into the wood by displacing the moisture in the wood. This is a long process and can take several weeks vs just a few hours or days. Older wood has less moisture and can impact how deeply the product can penetrate. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. We are always happy to help!

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

I had purchased quite a few deeply carved very heavy wood carvings from temples in India almost 50 years ago. When we checked them out for packing for our move to Virginia, they were teeming with powder post beetles. I almost threw them out! I cleaned off what I saw and packed them up in plastic. Recently, I was brave enough to open them. I prayed about something to destroy the infestation. My daughter went on line and found Boracare. My son followed the directions exactly and let them dry thoroughly on the garage floor. Then we sprayed Liquid Gold on all sides and let that dry. They turned out beautiful! I plan to use this product on other antique wood furniture that I had from my 30-year old antique business.

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6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Last Thanksgiving, I discovered that Eastern Subterranean Termites had begun infesting our 100 year old house. I have been remodeling for five years and have previously seen no evidence in any areas I have worked. Nevertheless, they have significantly consumed a door frame and wall which I installed three years ago. Therefore, I think the infestation must have started in the summer following that work, two years ago. Over the winter, I have employed a four fold strategy to try to discourage further activity. Since there were no mud tubes visible on the outside or inside of the concrete block foundation, I filled the blocks with dry concrete sand mix. I have also trenched and soaked about 100 gallons of 0.1 percent Dominion 2L down the outside of the block walls and have installed Advance bait traps around the perimeter. Most importantly, I have thoroughly saturated all base plates from at least one side with 50 percent BoraCare solution; once last winter and again nearing spring. Initially, I considered a much cheaper water based borate but, having observed the feeding behavior through the center of framing members, I am convinced that the deep saturation of BoraCare's propylene glycol carrier is essential to protection. Furthermore, the expense of treatment is insignificant compared to damage remediation. So far, I have observed no fresh activity this spring but I will need to continue vigilant monitoring. Termites are a serious challenge and Do My Own Pest Control has been a tremendous resource.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Boracare arrived in a concentrated 1 gallon container. It has the consistency of syrup (slightly thick) and I diluted it with water on a 1 to 1 basis. I could not find my sprauer so I rolled on the first application with a paint roller. I also brushed on a door facing that needed treatment. I used one gallon of the two gallon diluted solution and then I found my sprayer. I sprayed on the last coat of Boracare and I preferred the sprayer. I used plastic gloves, googles and old clothes. Did I get some on me? Yes. I threw the clothes away including underware and tennis shoes and took a quick shower. In summary, I put 2 coats on the wood that needed treating. This will be a five star rating if I got rid of the powder post beetles (which I won't know for about 3 months). Instructions from the supplier were excellent. Now it is wait and see. One suggestion-Don't ever use old wood for new house construction!

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

My local termite company wanted $800 to treat my modest home with Bora-Care. I paid $144 for 2 gallons for this stuff and treated my entire house. Yeah, the sprayer costed $50, but that's still a savings of $600+. Thank you, DoMyOwnPestContro.com. You saved me hundreds of my hard-earned dollars.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

My gallon came damaged, and as soon as I e-mailed the company, a brand-new one was sent out immediately, with no need to deal with the post office or send pictures. I felt like the company really wanted to make sure I got what I paid for, which I appreciated very much. The product itself seems to have worked fine, and was easy to use.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Excellent service. Boracare arrived quickly and with minimum packaging. Stuff works great and gets rid of almost every insect without using poison. If you buy this stuff locally, it costs twice as much as this online store.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

It was easy enough to use. I just followed the instructions, and sprayed it on the wall cavities, and on some old logs in a cabin. I will let you know in 10 years, how well it keeps back pests, and mold.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Good product but a bit hard to mix because of thickness.Additionally, adding other pesticides doesn't work well, they sink to the bottom and harden. Buy more than enough to coat every piece of wood exposed or insects will find a home in the untreated wood. Bora Care does not treat pressure treated wood.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments! We would not recommend mixing any other products with Boracare unless it is a spray indicator. To mix Boracare, use a separate container from your sprayer and use an impeller-type mixer for best results. You will then pour the finished solution into your spray equipment to apply it. Please let us know if we can further assist you!

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6 of 7 people found this review helpful

I mixed it according to directions. It worked great. I'm glad I read the label where it said that hot water can be used for ease of mixing! This stuff has the consistency of Karo syrup, and the hot water really helped mix. After application, small Bark Borers came out that I hadn't even seen.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Customer care did a great job. My problem is with the product. It is the consistency of molasses and it ruined my sprayer which was thrown away as it was uncleanable. So, I bought a small broom and brushed the chemical on as much surface as I could get access to. I feel I wasted a lot of time and money.

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5 of 27 people found this review helpful

I recently had an experience with the dreaded termites. They had eaten about 50 feet of 2x6 base plate on stem wall. They made their entrance via a concrete porch filled with dirt, it was built after the house was built. After replacing base plate decided it was time to exterminate. After researching products decided on Boracare for treating since base plate and house was built out of used lumber. Base plate was only infestation found. Followed instructions provided with product and application went off without any bad experiences. "DO MY OWN PEST CONTROL" WEB PAGE WAS VERY HELPFUL AND SAVED ME APPROXIMATELY $800.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I've used Boracare in renovations on wood window frames and sashes, wooden porch columns, interior structural members and on the exterior when sealed with a couple of coats of penetrating oil primer. It works great and soaks deep into the wood. I've also used it in new construction, putting it in a garden sprayer and coating the lower 4 feet of sheathing and framing before closing in the walls. Dilute it 50/50 with hot water. It's non-toxic and cheap insurance.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

It would be hard to rate this product on effectiveness, as I don't have anything to compare it to. However, it was easy to dilute in hot water as instructed, and was easy to apply to bare wood with a weed sprayer and spray bottle. Product is clear, and after 2 days can be painted over. I used on exposed bare wood and facia boards before priming and painting, where previous wood had dry rot and termite damage.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I only gave it 4 because it hasn't been long enough to know how well it worked long term. Be sure to use warm/hot water to mix it as it comes out of the bottle the consistency of honey. Sometimes hard to tell where you left off, so use a push pin to mark your spot when refilling or taking a break. Rented a pressure washer ($50) plus cost of Boracare plus my time instead of a quoted price of $1000 to do the same job.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Time will tell the entire story. However, for the two gallons I ordered I found the product went on well at about a 1.5 to 1 ratio. The two gallons I mixed up to about 5 with water and wasn't enough to cover all the open studs in the 1200 sq' house. I used most of it to cover existing wood that had evidence of dry wood termite bore holes. I was impressed with the available product literature and the listed guarentee. I called the factory to ask if the product would have an adverse affect on the plastic of newly installed romex because the literature didn't specifically mention anything. The factory pointed out that it shouldn't as it is nor-corrosive. I hope this helps provide some prevention as the product literature explains. The impression I got after studying what I did about the product is if I were building a house from ground up, I would hire full time laborers to apply to the framer cut wood members on all sides during the entire framing process. Respectfully Submitted

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Product is a bit messy and sticky until it has a chance to fully dry. Once dry there is no sign of the product. This is a good thing, but if you break the project up into stages you need to keep track of where the boundaries are. Product did take about 2 years for it to take full effect. I suspect this is because the beetles are in the wood out of reach and need to exit before they are exposed to the product. Using the recommended stronger concentration for an existing infestation should affect this time, however for a large structure this gets to be very expensive. Of course, the beetles have now relocated to the lower level so I'll be treating that next. I mixed the product in a 25 gallon atv mounted tree sprayer and used a longer hose with a lift to reach the high beams.

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5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Our small cottage experienced water damage in the crawlspace. A result was wood rot fungi in the outer wall and on the crawlspace joists/beams. After replacing most of the outer wall, we found the joists/beams to be 'sound' so researched finding a solution for the fungi. Bora-Care came highly recommended so we gave it a try. Wow!! Wish now I had taken photos of the before and after. Horrible, orange fungi literally died and turned black within a day or two and started peeling (oozing) off. Now that the joists/beams are clean (I ended up wiping some off with paper towels as I was crawling around under there), I'm going to go back and give everything a 'protective' treatment just in case (also treated the new wood as well and installed a dehumidifier). Amazing product.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful