Yes, Bora-Care can be applied to concrete blocks, block or brick on the interior of crawl spaces and basement foundations as well as sill plates, piers, girders, subfloors, floor joists and any wood exposed to vertical access above ground. This is done typically to prevent shelter tubing by subterranean termites.
For specifics on the absorbption into AAC (aerated autoclaved concrete), we would recommend contacting the manufacturer directly Nisus at 800-264-0870 for technical information.
You can certainly treat any raw lumber with Boracare before it is stored. If it is stored indoors, then you could apply stain, seal, etc. any time after the Boracare application is dry. If the wood is outdoors or otherwise exposed to rainfall, however, then you would need to apply a water sealant within 3 weeks of the Boracare application so that rainfall does not deplete the Boracare residual.
Just so you know, Bora-Care will not kill, treat, or prevent mold growth. It only works for fungus or wood destroying insects, not mold. Only Bora-Care with Mold Care will treat and kill and prevent mold. Bora-Care will take at least 30 days usually to diffuse through the entire piece of wood. This of course depends on the thickness and moisture content of the wood. The outer layer though usually dries within 24 hours or at least is OK after 24 hours to treat again or apply a stain or sealant to the wood.
Bora-Care can only be used on raw, untreated, unpainted wood for curative and preventative treatments against termites and other wood destroying insects. It has no efficacy or ability to treat termites in the soil.
If termite activity has been seen in the home, you will want to treat by doing Termite Trench Treatment directly against the foundation of the home using Taurus SC. Taurus SC can eradicate an exisiting termite colony within 90 days and provide a 10 year barrier protection against future termites when done correctly.
Please view our How to Treat for Termite Guide for more information.
Bora-Care will take at least 30 days usually to diffuse through the entire piece of wood. This of course depends on the thickness and moisture content of the wood. It starts to work as soon as it begins to penetrate the wood it is applied to. You may continue to see activity in wood that has a prior infestation as Boracare works by ingestion so will only kill the insects that are actively eating the wood and ingest the product. If there are dormant beetles that are not active, but become active later, let's say next year, you could see new activity at that time, but they will die once they start eating since Bora-Care stays in the wood forever. It is common to see activity at a later date since beetles are not all active at the same time.
We recommend doing the treatment with the Fipronil or Altriset first, waiting 90 days and then following up with the Boracare. This will allow the termites to go back to the colony with the active ingredient on their body and pass it around the colony causing the entire colony to collapse. If you treat with Boracare first, you risk only killing the termites present and not getting rid of the entire colony.
Since all surfaces of the wood need to be treated, we would recommend you remove any item that is blocking the application from reaching the wood. You should drill through any layered beam to get the solution all the way to the next beam when necessary.
Boracare cannot be used in misting equipment but could be used in foaming equipment, and we carry a few types. The Foamer Simpson or Chapin Poly Foamer would be able to be used along with a foaming concentrate like the ProFoam. Once foamed it will only penetrate the wood that it touches, so be sure applications are made directly in areas that contact infested wood or wood you are wanting to protect. If foaming wall voids would not contact the wood you need to treat you will need to drill into the wood and inject following the instructions on the product label.
Boracare will only penetrate up to 8 inches with 2 applications done at the ratios listed on the product label, depending on if you are treating for an active infesation or prevention as well as the type of wood it is being applied. Applying multiple times would not make it penetrate any deeper. You should do your best to only mix enough solution for the job you are doing that day to prevent having to discard any solution. Any unused solution can be dumped out right up against the foundation of the structure taking care not to get it on plants.
