E. writes
They both seem to control the same pests. Container size appears the same. Is Bora-Care more highly concentrated therefore dilutes to cover more? I am confused. Can these be applied by a novice? What protection must one take?
Bora-Care and Timbor are both borate products used to treat wood, but they could not be more different. Timbor is in a powder form that is mixed with water. It is much less expensive but it is intended more for protecting new wood only, or wood that you know does not have any issues. Timbor will only penetrate the outer layer of the wood so it is more for protection or for treating fungus on the surface of the wood. If you have an active infestation of termites, powder-post beetles or wood borers deep inside the wood then Timbor would not make it through the wood to kill these insects. BoraCare is a liquid borate but has an additive, a glycol solution, which allows the product to penetrate through the entire piece of wood, therefore it should be used any time you have an active infestation because you are guaranteed it will kill anything in the wood no matter how deep it is. Also, BoraCare will last forever in the wood so you will never have to worry about any infestations in the wood that you treat ever again. Just to recap if you have an existing infestation, you should use Bora-Care. If you are just treating wood to be used in new construction or surface fungus, then Timbor is fine to use. Both products are very safe, virtually odorless and do not require respirators unless you are in a enclosed space with no ventilation. You should always wear gloves and protect your eyes anytime you apply pesticides or herbicides. All you need to apply either product is a one or two gallon hand pump sprayer. Timbor is used at 1.5 lbs of Timbor to each gallon of water. Bora-Care is mixed 1:1, one gallon of Bora-Care to one gallon of water which will make two finished gallons. Both products should be mixed in a 5 gallon bucket and then poured in your sprayer to use. We sell these products to homeowners every day and they are very successful treating their issues and you can have great success too. Remember that we are always here to help. Good Luck!
Answer last updated on: 03/02/2010
