If you have subterranean termites, we would recommend doing a trench around the home. You will dig a 6 inch by 6 inch around the structure of the home. We would recommend using Termidor SC. You will use 0.8 fl. oz. per gallon of water. You will use 4 gallons of solution per 10 lineal feet. The termites travel in the walls and will be eradicated within 90 days.
When applying Bora-Care the wood should be thoroughly sprayed, but not until runoff. Be sure the wood you are applying to is in a raw form with no paint on the surface. This product should be applied only to raw wood. Be sure to check out our Termite Guide.
Boracare can certainly be applied to a deck and it lasts for the life of the wood if it is not exposed to rain, continuous water or ground contact. The amount of time Boracare lasts in the wood will depend upon those factors. In your case, we would recommend using a sealant of some kind after the application of Boracare. Do not expose treated exterior wood surfaces to rain or snow for at least 48 hours after treatment. For longer performance, exterior wood surfaces will require a topcoating with a water-resistant finish such as paint or exterior stain. Apply within 6 weeks of treatment. Boracare must dry completely (at least 48 hours) before applying any protective topcoat. If there is a current infestation, you will do a 1:1 application of Boracare. If this is just for preventative measure, you will do 5:1 application. Make sure the water is very hot when you are spraying it.
Yes, allowing Boracare to freeze can make it ineffective. It should be stored in a controlled temperature area out of direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. You also want to avoid applying any product in below freezing temperatures because the water part of the mixture can sparate and freeze.
There is no need to turn off the power when foaming wall voids with Bora-Care, unless you have exposed or damaged wires in the wall. For patching the holes you could do that immediately or if you have a lot of insulation you could wait 24 hrs to patch.
Bora-Care is safe if it is applied to raw wood when the pets are not present. Once the treated surfaces have completely dried, it is safe for them to return.
If you are seeing white residue after applying Boracare, then there are a few possible causes. What usually happens is that either the Boracare was not mixed properly before it was applied, or too much product was applied to wood. Another possibility is that the Boracare did not have enough time to dry completely before the coating was applied. Typically Boracare dries in 24-48 hours. You can remove excess Boracare using soap and water, but we would try to avoid doing this unless there is clearly too much product applied. Another condition that could cause strange drying is if you are trying to apply Boracare to wood that has already been treating with paint, stain, sealant, oil, or another finish.
Yes Boracare can be used as a foam in wall voids. You should only be concerned about getting the foam near the wood and studs. Typically when a company foams walls, they drill holes at the top of the ceiling on either side of the studs and foam down the stud from the ceiling. This way you have gravity working in your favor and you are getting the foam against the wood which is all that matters. You will need a foaming agent and a poly foamer. You will mix 2 gallons of hot water with 1 gallon of Boracare. For raw, untreated wood that you're able to access, you would apply Bora-Care by itself at a 1:1 ratio.
Powderpost Beetles are a pest that can often cause residual damage long after you have treated. The Boracare application you would have completed on the wood would be correct for treating and protecting the raw wood surfaces and having it absorb into the wood. Since powder post beetles lay their eggs inside the wood and the eggs could lay dormant for up to 30 years, you may see random signs of the pest anywhere in the time frame that you have the wood. Boracare will keep any new beetles from boring into the wood and kill them through ingestion of the wood if they try, and it will kill any beetles/larvae within the wood that try to eat their way through it or out of it. Boracare works through ingestion, so wood destroying pests would have to ingest the wood to get the product in their system to die from it. This means that any signs you are seeing now are beetles that are eating their way out of the wood and ingesting the Boracare and dying from it. Since there isnt a way to know how many eggs were left in the wood there isnt a way to know how long or how often you may see these signs pop up.
If Boracare was used correctly by the pest control company, it would only be on the raw wood surfaces within your attic. If any did somehow get on a floor or wall a rag with hot soapy water or a scrub brush dipped in hot soapy water should remove it.
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.
Yes, Bora-Care can be used on fly wood as long as it's raw wood, meaning no stain or any type of finish. If it's being applied to a bed set, you would need to wait until it has completely dried to be able to use the bed/bed set again, this can typically take approximately 48 hours, this would include if a fly wood wall after being treated.
The advantage of doing a tenting treatment is that it will kill all the insects in the home at the time of treatment. Since drywood termites have one colony all in one place, this would eliminate all colonies present without necessarily having to locate all of them. Obviously cost and time can be a concern with this type of treatment. Plus, tenting does not provide any kind of prevention, so a Boracare treatment on raw wood is a great idea for prevention. If you are going to treat yourself, then you would use signs like frass and kickout holes to locate where the live termites are in the structure, and you would spot treat each of those areas. I recommend using a foam termiticide such as FUSE Foam to spot treat live termite activity in the structure. It is not recommend to spot treat only using Boracare. Boracare is a unique product in that it absorbs into the wood and stays present for the life of the wood, so it is really one of the only things you can do for prevention of drywood termites.
We have more tips in our Drywood Termite Treatment Guide here.
There are 36 cases (144 bottles) of the Bora-care per shipping pallet. Yes, we do offer special discounts for larger orders. Please feel free to contact us at 866-581-7378 Ext. 378 for a free quote on your order today!
Yes! You can use Bora-Care for application on a log and it will protect this log against any future damage. We advise that since it is outside, you should seal the log after applying Bora-Care. This will allow the product to last longer outside. If an exterior piece of wood is exposed to weather over the years, water can force the Bora-Care out if it is not properly sealed.
Anytime you’re applying chemicals, including Bora-Care, appropriate personal protection equipment is always recommended. You can view our Basic Safety Kit to view the products recommended when applying chemicals.
Bora-Care is definitely the very best product to treat for powder post beetles. If the wood is stained, it will need to be sanded and stripped down to it’s original raw state. The idea is to ensure the Bora Care penetrates all the way through to the center of the wood so it lasts the life time of the wood. Powder post beetles can remain dormant inside wood for sometimes up to 30 years. So it’s very important to treat the wood with a product that will fully penetrate the wood and last the life time of the wood.
