Bora-Care
Bora-Care is a
preventative treatment for termites made by the Nisus Corporation. It uses
borate mineral salt, which if eaten by termites will cause them to starve to
death by making it impossible for them to gain nutrients from food.
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The treatment is
applied to the house itself, as opposed to the ground or
surrounding area. It stays in the wood basically as long as the
wood is there (meaning you only need to apply it once). It's easiest to apply when your house is being built, but it can still be done on a fully-constructed home. |
Does it work?
A study by the Florida Department of Agriculture (required to approve
Bora-Care's use in the state) looked at 27 buildings that had been
treated with it. Over a five-year period, only one of the buildings
showed any signs of termite activity. In another test, they built boxes
with untreated "bait wood" on top of a structure built of wood treated
with Bora-Care. Basically, the idea is that to get at the untreated
wood, subterranean termites would have to tunnel over the treated wood.
One third of the control boxes (which had no treatment at all of
Bora-Care) were damaged by termites. None of the Bora-Care treated boxes
were - basically, the termites wouldn't even try to travel over the
Bora-Care treated wood, let alone try to eat it.
Is it safe?
Yes - the active ingredient only hurts insects, not mammals. Basically,
you (or your pets) need some of it in their diets. Any excess is removed
by your body. Bugs, however, don't have a natural ability to do that,
and it will damage their digestive systems if they're exposed to it.
Sources and Useful Links:
http://www.nisuscorp.com/portal/page/portal/Nisus/categories/homeowners/products/boraCare
http://www.flaes.org/pdf/Efficacy%20Review%20Bora%20Care%203-03-06.pdf
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