Anybody know where to get borate wood treatment to spray on weather-protected framing underneath a new roof over deck? Would like to add this insurance against termites/carp ants, etc. before I put up the beadboard ceiling panels….
I know I can sub-contract with licensed pest control person to do this, but they are brutally expensive and would prefer to offer something less expensive, particularly when borate treatment is not very toxic. Last time I arranged for this on a different job the pest guy stirred the solution with his hand – said you could bathe in the stuff without worry…basically just like borax soap
Watching the pest guy do it last time for big bucks makes me think – why can’t I offer that service a heck of lot cheaper…
Wylie
Success = Work+ Risk + Luck, in that order. Muriel Seibert
Replies
google on "bora-care"... i've bought it on the internet a couple time now.. i think it runs about $125 / gal..
the dilution and application instructions are on the label.. and on the site
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks - any application tips? how far does a gallon go?
Wylie
Success = Work+ Risk + Luck, in that order. Muriel Seibert
I've got it as cheap as ninety something but that may have been a quantity discount. it is a syrupy gel that you mix down with hot water and apply with a garden sprayer. Strength mixed down depends on application but as I remember, a gal would get you five and cover oh about a thousand feet. The sites that sell it will have the info in charts.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Although I don't know how the comparison is, I use the Borax found in grocery stores or some chain stores. It has many great uses to include deterring insects like carpenter ants and termites. It may need a more frequent treatment than the other, but I've never had a problem with it. Plus it's only a couple of dollars for a box.
Thanks for the tips Piffin and Cracker. I've been surfing for info on Borax and it looks a lot like plain on old borax mixed with water is not a whole lot different than the professionally mixed solutions. As usual Breaktime is wealth of knowledge and opinion.
Just because I'm a nervous nelly, I thinking of going with the Bora Care solution off the web for this roof job, and conduct a little experiment with good old 20 mule team Borax on old rotty pine that smells like steak to Carp ants, and see what I find.
For the next job I might be mixing my own borax treatment...
Wylie
Success = Work+ Risk + Luck, in that order. Muriel Seibert
Wylie,
I forget who first posted this site and I haven't tried the mixes but I plan to.
http://boatbuilding.com/content/rot.html
KK
I just ordered Timbor from http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com
I see they have Boracare for $86 with free shipping.
Might be worth checking out.
HD and lots of hardware stores have 16 ounce containers of Boric acid powder for $3-4. Look for it in white plastic bottles called roach guard or somesuch. When I had the roof off, I poofed in 3-4 ounces into each joist bay through a 1/2" hole in the top plate. For $8 it seemed like cheap insurance.
I did experiment with it on open ant hills in the driveway. Once it was poofed on the ants didn't return.