BoraCare - anyone used it?

[OneStaple]

In helping to clean out my grandpa's estate, I've started looking through some of his lumber stash. He has a bunch of stuff, but unfortunately a lot has been stored outdoors (under cover) and has some bugs. In going through the wood, I noticed that some pieces have piles of frass, which I would link to powder post beetles. There are also pin-head sized holes.

Some pieces of wood are riddled with frass piles and holes (such as elm), while others just appear to have a spot here or there (cherry, oak, others). I'd likely throw away anything that's too far gone, but am tempted to try to save other boards (such as 12" wide x 16' long white oak). Even once I treated the boards with something like BoraCare, I would take precautions in where I store them to keep them away from the wood I already have.

Sooo, all that said, does anyone have experience and feedback with BoraCare? Has it proven effective? Are there any issues with permanently discoloring the wood or messing with finishes? My understanding is that it does a better job of soaking into/through the wood to kill larvae while also preventing future infestations, whereas something like Tim-Bor, while cheaper, is more of a surface treatment that prevents future infestations.

One piece of info that I haven't found complete details on is which woods or types of woods are susceptible and likely to be infected. For instance, I know that the sapwood on walnut is likely to get infected, but the heartwood is not. The elm that I saw appeared infected everywhere (and will be thrown out). Is there a list somewhere of what is susceptible and what isn't? If I cut the sapwood off walnut and cherry and others, does that decrease the problem significantly?

And yes, I know some will just say to walk away from the wood or burn it all. Feel free to say so, but if there's a reasonable path to saving the wood (some of it, at least), I'm interested in exploring my options.

Thanks!
Tyler

[Wild Turkey]

I had a similar problem.  Mixed antifreeze and boric acid and applied the mix to suspect boards.

Two years and no sign of active bugs.

[OneStaple]

I had a similar problem. Mixed antifreeze and boric acid and applied the mix to suspect boards.

Two years and no sign of active bugs. Cool

I've seen recipes for making your own BoraCare that are very similar to what you mentioned, but with Borax also included in the ingredients. There was some discussion about using antifreeze as your glycol source, as it (maybe just some types) contains antioxidants that can retard the absorption of the mixture and slow down drying. BoraCare isn't cheap, so a DIY approach is appealing, although finding good alternatives to antifreeze appears difficult.

Any issues with discoloring the wood or applying finishes later?

Tyler

[wing nut]

In helping to clean out my grandpa's estate, I've started looking through some of his lumber stash.  He has a bunch of stuff, but unfortunately a lot has been stored outdoors (under cover) and has some bugs.  In going through the wood, I noticed that some pieces have piles of frass, which I would link to powder post beetles.  There are also pin-head sized holes.

Some pieces of wood are riddled with frass piles and holes (such as elm), while others just appear to have a spot here or there (cherry, oak, others).  I'd likely throw away anything that's too far gone, but am tempted to try to save other boards (such as 12" wide x 16' long white oak).  Even once I treated the boards with something like BoraCare, I would take precautions in where I store them to keep them away from the wood I already have.

Sooo, all that said, does anyone have experience and feedback with BoraCare?  Has it proven effective?  Are there any issues with permanently discoloring the wood or messing with finishes?  My understanding is that it does a better job of soaking into/through the wood to kill larvae while also preventing future infestations, whereas something like Tim-Bor, while cheaper, is more of a surface treatment that prevents future infestations.

One piece of info that I haven't found complete details on is which woods or types of woods are susceptible and likely to be infected.  For instance, I know that the sapwood on walnut is likely to get infected, but the heartwood is not.  The elm that I saw appeared infected everywhere (and will be thrown out).  Is there a list somewhere of what is susceptible and what isn't?  If I cut the sapwood off walnut and cherry and others, does that decrease the problem significantly?

And yes, I know some will just say to walk away from the wood or burn it all.  Feel free to say so, but if there's a reasonable path to saving the wood (some of it, at least), I'm interested in exploring my options.

Thanks!
Tyler

I've used it on some maple that ppbs, worked well, take a year, you have to break the life cycle of the ppb.

[Jim Waldron]

The good stuff:

https://qualityborate.com/products/pest-...plications

[Stwood_]

I just spread straight boric acid, right out of the box. Haven't had any recurrence.
I still have some lumber that I milled from over 20 years ago, mixed in with other lumber. No bug activity anywhere in my lumber racks.

[Gary G™]

If you have enough timber, you could look into having it kiln dried. The right temp for several hours will kill ‘em.

[wing nut]

If you have enough timber, you could look into having it kiln dried. The right temp for several hours will kill ‘em.

core temp 135l, 48 hours

[OneStaple]

The good stuff:

https://qualityborate.com/products/pest-...plications

Any reason you recommend this (Borasol-WP) over Timbor or BoraCare? Based on their description on their website, it sounds almost identical to Timbor (they even suggest as such).

Everything I've read about Timbor (or Borasol-WP, I guess) vs. BoraCare is that Timbor is more of a surface treatment to prevent powderpost beetles, whether the first time or a reinfestation. BoraCare is supposed to soak into the wood to kill an active infestation, which is what I'm dealing with. After the initial treatment dries, it sounds like they work essentially the same.

If you have enough timber, you could look into having it kiln dried. The right temp for several hours will kill ‘em.

I've thought about doing just that. Initially I didn't think I'd have enough lumber to bother, but maybe I will. Especially with smaller quantities, I'd thought about wrapping the boards in black plastic and laying them in the sun in the summer and/or sitting them in my hot car for a few hours. The downsides are that I'd have to do this one board at a time, I'd have to wait until summer (and the next round of adult beetles should emerge in the spring), and it wouldn't prevent future attacks. But some version of kiln drying would guarantee that I got all of them.

Tyler

[Stwood_]

Get 4 sheets of 1/2" chipboard, build a temp 4'hx16'L Teepee structure. Paint it black and pile it full of lumber in the hot sun. Sprinkle boric acid in there as you stack the lumber.
Cover the ends with a tarp or plastic.