Customer Reviews for Bora-Care

Recently a friend gave me a beautiful 19th century cabinetmaker's workbench made of thick, heavy maple timbers. My friend warned me that it might be infested with ants but two days later the appearance of fresh frass on its surface indicated an infestation of powderpost beetles. Running the face of one of the vise jaws over my jointer revealed a network of canals and living powderpost beetle larvae. Not wanting to convert this great antique to firewood, I searched the internet for any possible remedy. My search was initally quite discouraging until I started running across recommendations for Boracare. Despite the glowing reviews I read, I was not inclined to spend so much money on a product that sold for around $100 a gallon on some web sites. Persistence finally brought me to DoMyOwnPestControl.com which advertised the same product for about three-quarters the cost of its competitors with the added incentive of FREE SHIPPING. Since the workbench itself cost me nothing, I decided to risk $77.45 on the outside chance that the piece could be saved and placed my order. I then prepared the workbench by thoroughly power sanding every exposed surface to remove any dirt, old glue, dried finish, the 100 or more year old oxidation patina, and anything else on the surface that might prevent the solution from being optimally absorbed. Several days later when the Boracare arrived, I followed the directions that came with it and gave the workbench two complete coats of the solution. That was two and one-half weeks ago and I have since seen no signs of any insect infestation. However, I will continue to give it close daily inspections before initiating any restoration work. So far I am greatly encouraged but still not absolutely convinced that the powderpost beetle infestation is a thing of the past.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

45 of 53 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.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

10 of 13 people found this review helpful

Material came in a timely manner. Read online reviews and took folk's suggestions to mix with very hot water...seemed to do the trick as the material mixed well with the warm water and we had no trouble spraying. It's an expensive product and we used a lot more than we thought we would need. As far as "how did the product do?".... It will take a year or so to see if we have more powder post beetle problems, so my rating will be a conservative 3.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

4 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

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I purchased the product after being hit by super storm Sandy. I needed to drain and dry the crawlspace due to flooding. I needed something to sanitize the dirt floor space and protect the wooden floor joyces. I was surprised to see how thick the chemical was even after a 3 to 1 delution. I could see it stick like slime to the wood and cinder bloc foundation. I'm sure it will do the trick. I plan to use the remainder in a 5 to 1 delution ratio as a preventative solution during those seasons when insects try and find a place to live.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Container had leaked into box. Should have been packaged better. Maybe and EPA conern.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Prepared per instructions, 1:1 mix, sprayed and injected into old furniture (after aerosol and Timbor failed). The furniture was wrapped in a large plastic bag and sealed immediately after treatment. Within 24 hours, I had several dead termites, then nothing for a week. I vacuumed out the dead termites, and reapplied and re-bagged. Again, within 24 hours, several dead termites. Apparently, this product will not do a complete job. My last option will be to find a home that is being tented and ask if I can put the furniture in the home. At $77 a gallon, I had hoped for a much better outcome.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

I can't give a performance review yet since i just applied the product. I can however rate the ease of use. The product was extremely thick. It requires mixing in a bucket with a paint mixer on my cordless drill. It takes some time, but it eventually mixes with water. I mixed it at the 1 to 1 ratio recommended on label. Don't try to mix it in you sprayer, it will plug up the sprayer line before you can dilute it. Application was easy, just spray it on. However it didn't seem to penetrate engineered lumber as well as it did on the dimension lumber. Just something to keep an eye on. I hope this keeps termites out of my new house. I will be closing up the walls with drywall soon.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

Treating for old house beetles in the joist of my attic. I sprayed all the members after pulling insulation out of the way. The infected area is obvious from the noise being made and the fresh fras. Two weeks in and the beetles are still milling away. I hope the beetles soon find the Boracare. My wife is running out of patients with the annoying noise.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

does soak in better that the timbor, but not a lot better considering the difference in price. Does dry with white residue on the wood. not as badly as Timbor, but still needs to be sanded before it can be stained. Nice product, and better than Timbor, but I an not convinced that it is 3 times better to justify the price.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sprayed Boracare for powderpost beetle on July 8, 2014..Not working yet !!

  Expert response:
Depending on the thickness and moisture content of the treated wood, Boracare may take up to several weeks to absorb fully into treated wood. Because of this action, there may still be beetle activity after Boracare has been applied. If you would like to discuss your particular situation with us further, we are happy to assist by telephone at 866-581-7378 M-F 9a-5p EST.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

Using Boracare for new palapas with wooden structures and palm fronds. The region is northern mexico. Where arizona and Californians like to visit. I have neighbors with bore holes in their Palm frond stalks and they got infested. Im not sure what kind of bug this was all i know is that it likes to eat wood. So i'm tring this product. Will update in a few months. Will be buying more. Could use a coupon......

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

After cleaning equipment repairs, Boracare was sprayed on the wood of our bank barn for powder post beetles. This results should show next Summer and for the next couple years as the Boracare works on the emerging beetles.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

I found my original post from August 2014 when I purchased Bora Care to treat powder post beetles in some log furniture I aquired. Note to self,I sprayed my furniture outside on my lawn, it killed my lawn,( but it came back eventually.) 2015 I noticed a few new holes, and one or two beetles, nothing like before however, so YEY!... Now, here were are again- almost in August, and I've found 3 beetles, and 9 new holes! UGGG.. So I'd say it worked for the most part, but not a complete fix. Definitely needs continued treatment.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

After a complete coverage of our cabin and one followup in problem areas, the powder post beetles are still active. Not sure what to try next. The product did stop some of the activity but I would like to eliminate the pest.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

I got what I ordered and I received it very quickly. It was packaged well. I don't know if it works yet but come spring I should be able to tell something.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

There is no way for me to evaluate if this product really works since its effectiveness is based on whether i will see termite evidence in the future. I bought on faith and I hope all that i read becomes true. For now, make sure you do follow the instructions and use warm water, use only the amount you think you will spray and cover things to avoid overspray. It felt like i was working with molases. I never purchased from this company but I was pleasantly surprised things worked out smoothly and delivered very quickly. I will do so again.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

Container was strong, but no special dispenser method. Just a pour spout for what reminded me of a clear pancake syrup. Instructions were good and I used a 1:1 mix. I would advise against residential sprayers, especially if the container tubing is too small in diameter. This stuff will clog quickly as it is very thick at 1:1. It is not meant to spray on any painted surface as it will stain. It also stays tacky wet for several days. It's gooey and will leave foot prints on your house floors from your shoes. Don't get it on wires or plastics. I'm not sure I would use again for remodel, but new construction or crawl space / attic applications (Bare Wood) I will. I just hope it works as the product boasts!

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

The thick liquid mixed and sprayed well but I do not know if it is working to kill power post beetles.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

Stuff is being applied to 6 year old deck made with heat treated wood, not pressure treated. Deck boards breaking due to ordinary foot traffic in wet areas, due to fungi induced rot. What's worse, pressure treated supports also getting mushy. Won't hold lag screws for rail sections. We will probably never really know if any treatment slows the damage. Still worth a try. Users should be aware that this material is thick/viscous like cold honey. Read directions before dumping into sprayer. Takes a lot of mixing with water.

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo

I won't know how effective bora-care is on preventing termite & fungus damage for 20 years . But this is my experiences mixing it with water. I used a 1 to 1 mix because the existing untreated douglas fur 2x8 joists joists under my trex composite decking suffered random termite and dry rot damage. There is no roof over this deck and the surfer I hired to install it provided no spacing between the trex planks and used 16 sinkers instead of stainless screws and 1/3 of his sinkers missed the joists. After 20 years most of the sinkers were rusted away. This location is on the central cal coast about 100' above and 400' from the sea. Pretty corrosive environment. Actually the most damaged components were the 2x12 clear redwood fascia surrounding the deck. It looked like a honeycomb from the termites . I painted the new, replacement, already pressure treated (copper solution) 2x8 fur joists with a 1 to 1 bora care solution. I used the same on the new, non pressure treated redwood 2x12 and also on the top surround 2x6 railing. Since I was painting each joist on 4 sides twice with the solution I mixed small batches ( 1 quart) of the very thick (like STP) bora-care with water from our water heater at 160+ degree F hot water. I incorporated the hot water into the BC slowly mixing with a painting stir stick which worked well for starters and finished with a rotating metal paint stir tool driven by my electric drill motor. I experimented with the water temp and found the hotter the better. I'm 80 so, don't check back with me in 20 years. Flapz

Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo