How to be green, eco-friendly and less toxic and still kill termites? This question ultimately led me to Nisus Corporation and Bora-Care. Termite control here in Southern California primarily consists of removing living things you like from your home, encapsulating it in a Cirque de Solei-like tent, and then pumping toxic gas into your house. Then you open the windows and reclaim your home when “safe”. As someone who tries to reduce my family’s exposure to toxins, that just didn’t seem like a great way to treat for termites in a remodel. Bora-Care is a less toxic option for termite control that is a great choice if you have access to the actual wood you would like to treat. I actually sprayed it on exposed studs and woodwork myself using a sprayer. I managed to clog the sprayer by leaving the Boracare solution (which is diluted with water) in the sprayer for an extended period. Learn from my mistake and completely use whatever is in the sprayer and then rinse the sprayer completely. Or, be crazy and just hire a professional. Bora-Care kills drywood, subterranean and formosan termites among other pests, plus it will kill and prevent wood-decay fungi and algae. The active ingredient in Bora-Care is a borate salt which causes termites to become unable to extract nutrition from food and thus starve to death. Sounds mean, but then so does eating peoples’ houses. Because BoraCare isn’t applied to the soil but to the structure itself, and due to its less toxic approach, it meets HomeFixated’s eco-friendly/green approval. Bora-Care can even be used on lakeside homes where soil termiticides may be prohibited. Since the active ingredient in Bora-Care is a mineral salt, it doesn’t break down over time, which eliminates the need for retreatment! I ordered BoraCare from DoMyOwnPestControl.com where it costs about $90 per gallon including shipping.
About Marc Lyman
great tips. I enjoyed reading this
Hi Marie,
Thanks for your question. (Un)fortunately I don’t have any personal experience with mold. If you’re asking specifically in relation to the Bora-care product, please contact Nisus directly and they might be able to help. Because some molds can be quite dangerous, I’m guessing you’ll probably get a “consult a mold expert” response. Be safe and good luck with it!
This is more a question than a comment.
I was wondering if I could spray bora-care on the wood in my crawlspace that looks like it is moldy, without cleaning the mold off first. I don’t want the spores to go more airborne than they already are. (The sump pump went out, so it got pretty wet down there. I am currently digging a trench inside the crawlspace so that water will flow to the sump pit. Next I’ll paint the concrete with dry-lock, and then put down a vapor barrier. I’ll also do some stuff outside the house).
Anyway, I hope you can answer my question. I am scared to touch the mold, but don’t have the money to have someone do it. I’m guessing it would be pretty expensive.
Thanks,
Marie
This is a great product only if you have direct access to the effected wood. More than likely a termite infestation is going to be much deeper than a homeowner is going to see on the surface. Check with your professional pest control companies that deal with termites and ask about their green pest control methods.