Bora-Care - Questions & Answers

Boracare is known to be a green product and less toxic than many other wood preservative products. Having said that, any product that has the ability to kill insects and fungus does have some level of toxicity. We recommend that you read the product lable and the MSDS to determine if you are comfortable with the level of toxicity of Boracare. Once dry, Boracare is known to be less toxic than common table salt.

Bora-Care will take up to 30 days or more to penetrate all the way through the wood.  It will only kill active beetles that are eating.  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.

You can foam Boracare into the wall voids. The insulation may soak up a bit of the applications but here is how the pros handle it:

You will need to use a stud finder to locate each stud. You should then drill a hole at the top of the wall on either side of each stud and you should drill a second set of holes at the bottom of the wall on either side of each stud. You will apply the foam using the top holes and you will know the foam has successfully coated the wood when it comes out of the bottom holes on either side of the studs.

Boracare would be the best choice for treating raw wood for drywood termites. You will need to use it at the 1:1 ratio for a current infestation.

You should use the Boracare first followed by the Boracare with Mold care solution.

We do recommend that you treat both sides of the lumber and that you leave it unstacked for at least 72 hours to allow it to dry for best results.

The Sealer should not have any effect on the Boracare treatment as long as you allow the Boracare application to dry before applying the sealer. We recommend waiting at least 3 days before sealing (but not longer than 6 weeks).

First identify them as either Subterranean or drywood termites. If drywood termites Boracare is usually chosen if you need to protect the wood for long term control of wood infesting pests. Boracare penetrates into untreated wood and will eliminate current infestations of termites and it will prevent infestations of termites, carpenter ants, powderpost beetles and wood destroying fungus when used as directed on the Product Label. If Sub-termites you may want to use a termite foam such as Termidor Foam.

Here is a link to treating drywood termites.  Using Boracare it is not required to drill holes into the wood. The Boracare will penetrate 4in into the wood and last for the life time of the wood if applied to raw unpainted wood.

Boracare, if applied to raw untreated wood will penetrate up to 4in and provide protection against wood boring insects for the lifetime of the wood. For mold care, Boracare with Moldcare would be great option.

You can use Boracare on pressure treated wood as long as there is no stain, sealant, or paint on the wood. If the wood treated with Boracare is outside exposed to the elements, then you want to apply a water sealant after the Boracare has dried.

Neither Boracare, or any liquid is safe to be sprayed into electrical wiring of any sort. This would be an extreme shock hazard and damage your equipment and wiring. Boracare is strictly a raw natural wood treatment product for wood destroying insects like Termites, Carpenter ants and Powder Post Beetles. If there is a particular pest you are trying to treat for you can let us know and we can recommend a product that can be used in the areas you mentioned.

Yes, it is safe to work with the wood after being treated with Boracare. Please make sure to read the product label and that the treated area is dried before using the wood.

We would recommend using Boracare with Moldcare as it will treat and prevent mold and wood boring insects. Boracare with Moldcare will treat 1250 square feet of a crawl space or attic when mixed at the labeled rate of 1 gallon of bora-care with mold care and 5 gallons of water. Please see label for complete application directions and yield amounts.

The Boracare once dry is completely safe so as long as you keep your daughter away from it during the treatment process and until its dry she will be fine. Keep in mind Boracare is only designed for wood in its raw natural state. If you have put any sort of finish/stain/sealant on the wood there, you will have to sand it all off to apply the Boracare. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Boracare can be used on wood that is pressure treated, but it may take longer to absorb into the wood. In some cases, such as in a pre-construction termite treatment, pressure treated wood must be treated with Boracare. Boracare is preferred over other treatments such as Timbor in treating furniture because Boracare dries clear and will leave the furniture in its natural state. It will also absorb much further into the wood so you know the infestation is treated. Boracare is diluted with water at a 1:1 - 1:5 ratio depending on the pest you are targeting.

If you are having subterranean termite activity, boracare is not the product you need to use. You need to treat the home with a product like Termidor and trench around the foundation. You can see all the instruction for how a homeowner would kill and prevent infestations on their own with the Termidor in our instructions for How To Do A Termite Treatment. Boracare is only to be used on wood in its raw natural state and applying it to mulch would not repel the termites nor would it stay in the mulch very long being exposed to the outdoor elements. The termites were undoubtably attracted to the home because of the mulch as it is a prime environment for them to thrive in a heavily moisture containing wood area. We always discourage home owners from using mulch around the house and if you must use it, you need to keep a 6 inch barrier of just dirt between the foundation of the home and where the mulch starts. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

The mixture will be the same no matter what kind of wood you are treating on. For an active infestation of any wood destroying insect you will mix Boracare at the rate of 1:1. If there is no current activity of insects, you will use the preventative rate of 5:1 on the logs. You will need to mix the Boracare with hot water in a separate container first and mix well prior to putting it in a sprayer. You will need to treat all sides of the timbers and with the thickness of the logs, you will need to do 2 applications to have the Boracare penetrate through the wood to the center. You can do the second coat after the surface of the wood is semi-dry after the first coat which often only takes a few hours. Please refer to our directions bulletin on treating timbers for log homes for further tips.  Log Home and Dimensional Lumber Tech Bulletin.

Boracare is a viscus solution so it could have the potential to clog your sprayer. Please contact the manufacturer Nisus at 800-264-0870 to verify Boracare will not clog your specific sprayer.

When using Boracare you will either dilute at the rate of 1:1 for active infestations, or 5:1 for preventative use. When using Boracare at the 1:1 dilution, it will cover roughly 500 square feet of a crawl space or attic. When using it at a 5:1 dilution, it will cover roughly 2500 square feet. This is an estimate due to the fact that if the wood is thicker than 4 inches, you will need to do 2 applications for full penetration through the wood. Make sure to follow all proper safety precautions when treating high areas above your head. Please let us know if you have any other questions.