Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

In order to get the full benefits of using Boracare, the label states it is to be used on raw untreated wood. We recommend sanding or stripping the wood, then applying the Boracare. 

Bora-Care can be applied to raw, natural wood and penetrate 4 inches into the wood surfaces. It is recommended to apply to all sides of the wood for the best results. You will mix it at a 1:1 ratio for active drywood termites and it should be diluted with hot water in a separate container and mixed completely first. After it is mixed properly, you can add it to your spray tank for application. Please refer to the link below for the application chart based on dimensions.

Application Chart

Bora-Care can take up to 90 days to completely penetrate through all of the wood to where all of the termites are.  Bora-Care does not kill the termites by touch.  The termites walking on the wood are not effected.  Bora-Care kills the termites by ingestion.  After the Bora-Care has moved through the wood, the termites that are still in the wood will die when they continue to eat and ingest the Bora-Care with the wood.  You should treat all exposed sides of the wood that you can get to.  One treatment is normally enough unless the wood you are treating is more than 8 inches thick.  The termites will not spread easily to other areas so that is not a concern.

Bora-Care Product Label

Drywood Termite Treatment Article

Bora-Care is a great product to treat your crawl space with, however if these are live subterranean termites then Bora-Care may not be the best option.  Termidor can be used inside the house as a spot treatment and in the ground.  Termidor and Bora-Care are for two different treatments.  Termidor is meant for the soil, but can be used on wood as a spot treatment.  The main benefit of Termidor is that the termites will take it back to the colony under the ground and kill the colony at the source.  Bora-Care is a wood treatment product only, but it will not take care of the termite colony below the soil; it will only kill the termites that are in the wood.  So, you treat with Bora-Care later down the road in your crawl space since that wood is exposed and easy to get to, but you would want to wait until after you have treated this termite colony with Termidor, since Termidor will kill the termites at the source.  You should follow the instructions in our How To Do A Termite Treatment article paying close attention to the section about drilling holes, which is what is required on a patio.  You can also inject Termidor into the wall void by drilling a hole from the inside where you think they are.  You just have to touch a few termites with the Termidor for it to work.  Termidor can take up to 90 days to kill the entire colony depending on the colonies size. 

Bora-Care would definitely be what you want to use.  You can lay the boards out, spray or paint on the Bora-Care solution, flip the board and treat the other side, and then stack it.  Should not be an issue.  How for the bora-care goes depends on the thickness of the wood.  Please see page 10 of the bora-care label.  Table A on page 10 will tell you how many lineal feet of board the bora-care will treat based on thickness. The table tells you how many lineal feet a DILUTED gallon will treat.  Since you mix Bora-Care 1 gallon to 1 gallon of water which makes 2 gallons of diluted solution, you will double the figure shown.  For instance, it says if you have 2 x 4 wood it will treat 600 lineal feet.  You will double this amount so you will be able to treat 1200 lineal feet of 2 x 4.

Boracare should only be applied directly to wood. We would recommend using something like Termidor Foam in the wall voids. This product will be injected at the studs of the wall. Termidor Foam is a non-repellent so the termites do not know they are coming in contact with it. You can drill holes in the stud every 10-12 inches apart. This product has a residual of 3 months. 

For furniture your options are limited for treatment. If the wood is in its all natural raw state without any stains or finishes on it you can use a product like Boracare. Boracare will absorb all the way into the wood and eliminate any infestation that is there and last for the life of the wood. It does not stain the wood or leave behind any visible residue, but becomes one with the wood and any insect that ingests it dies. If the furniture has a finish on it, you would either have to drill holes throughout it and inject something like the Boracare or a foam, or the option most go with, hire a company to fumigate it.

565 PLUS XLO will kill termites or any other insects on contact. However, keep in mind that most swarming termites will die on their own in about a day. You should determine what kinds of termites are in the area (either Drywood or Subterranean) so that you can address the larger issue at hand, which is that there is a mature termite colony in the area. Bora-Care should only be applied to raw, natural wood for treating wood destroying insects. If you are treating for swarmers, we recommend spot treating voids with Fuse Foam and using Taurus SC in a trenched and drilled holes for termites. Please take a few moments to review our treatment article on How to Get Rid of Termites for a successful treatment program.

Both Termidor and Bora-Care are good for treating drywood termites.  They do it in different ways though.  Termidor is considered to be one of the best treatments around, however it is typically meant for subterranean termites and it is poured into the ground.  When using Termidor to treat drywood termites you have to drill holes into the wood and get the Termidor directly into the void where the termites are for it to work. Termidor will not penetrate through the word, you have to get it in the right place.  Also, Termidor does not have any long term protection qualities in the wood.  Bora-Care is a wood treatment product and will penetrate through the wood. When applying Bora-Care you do not have to get it directly where the termites are.  You would typically just spray it on the surface of the wood and the Bora-Care will penetrate through the wood and kill the termites inside.  Also, since Bora-Care is a wood treatment product, it will stay in the wood forever and protect it forever.  The down side is that Bora-Care can only be applied to normal raw wood.  It cannot be applied to wood that has been painted, stained, or sealed.  So, if you are exposing the studs or normal wood anywhere on the house or replacing any wood then usually Bora-Care is what you want to use since it will protect the wood long term.  If you have an infestation in wood that is painted and you will not be replacing it, then typically you would drill holes into the wood and use Termidor

Boracare is the best treatment option for any type of wood destroying insect including powder post beetles. However, no matter how new or old the wood is Boracare can only be used on wood in its raw natural state. If the wood has any type of stain or finish on them you would need to either sand it off and apply Boracare and re-stain it, or drill holes periodically through the areas where you have activity and inject Boracare into the center of the wood. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

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!