Borate is a mineral salt of boric acid. The active component is boron. This substance is mined from the earth and applied mostly for industrial purposes. Another substance from boron is Sodium borate or borax. It is officially called orthoborate or disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT). It is widely used for medical and household applications. Moreover, the effectiveness of borax to kill termites and to protect timber and wood from future infestations is evident. It is a low-cost remedy you can buy at the pest control store to eridicate home insects.
How can borax get rid of termites?
Borax to kill termites has proved to be very effective and orally toxic to pests. That fact that borax can be used to get rid of termites is obvious. Boric acid does not work on contact. It is necessary to make insects to ingest borates. Once eaten, borax acid comes into operation and starts killing a termite destroying its stomach and nervous system. Termites die just from dehydration.
Is borax treatment safe and environmentally friendly?
Boric acid in borax is a natural pesticide and wood preservative against termites and wood-consuming and wood-destroying insects. Moreover, it can be used inside and outside the home, as it is environmentally sensitive and safe to humans, plants and animals if used as directed. Of course, the homeowners and operators must be aware of hazards and avoid spillage into soil and water. This green approach to termite extermination makes insecticides with boric acid very popular and easy-to-use yourself.
It is also important to be careful when working with borate powder and to aviod breathing the dust and contaminating the water reservoirs with borax solution for termites.
How can you use borax to kill termites?
There is a great variety of professional and homemade remedies from boric acid: borax spray for termites, dry powder, borax mix, solutions and powder for making them, foams, boracide gel, borax soap for termites and baiting systems. All these means are cheap and very easy to use for termit treatment and termit control diy.
The dry powder is applied to treat cracks and crevices in wood and timber.
Baits are filled with borax to kill termites and left where pest activity being observed.
Borax solutions and mixes are sprayed into the trench of infested soil or “painted” on wood surfaces.
Borax foams are injected into wall voids, drilled holes and nest openings.
How does borax insecticide work?
When termites walk through borax dust, the smallest particles of powder stick to their body, antennae and legs. Then they ingest borate toxin grooming themselves. They can also eat poison directly from cheap termite bait stations and borax painted food sources containing wood. When ingested, borax acts as a poison in the stomach and results in death of the termite within three days to a week.
How to dissolve borax in water?
Boric acid is the active ingredient of professional insecticides, namely Tim-Bor, Bora Care, Shell Guard, Borax and Jecta Gel. Follow the instructions on the label of pesticide containers to dilute powder with water. As a rule, borate powder should be dissolved in warm water before use (1:1 dilution). Borax termicide is dissolved this way: 1 teaspoon of borax powder per 8 oz hot water, mix until diluted completely. It is obligatory the concentration of borax solution to be below 2% in order the termite to reach the nest and contaminate the others.
How long does borax powder and solutions remain in force?
Borax treatment is not long lasting. The significant results can be seen after 10-21 days after treatment. For preventative and control measures it is necessary to repeat application regularly. It is also required to protect treated wood from excess rain and moisture.
How to use borax as wood preservative?
Actually it is better and more efficient to take preventive measures before building and constructing a house than to treat termite infested structures. For the termite control and wood preservative purposes, the homeowners can use Tim-bor professional powder, which is diluted with water. You can use borate solutions to coat, spray or paint with brush all foundation and attic structures, timber, wooden surfaces to preserve them from future termite attacks. Borate foam and borax dust can be used for this purpose and injected into building structures to repel wood-destroying and cellulose-consuming pests.
I found this to be very informative and thank you for taking the time to do it .
Now, if I could just rebuild my house!
I hear ya, my garage too… I havent even treated yet. Im going to try and use a shop-vac with the feature that blows out to distribute the powder in the garage, maybe the attic too if it even works…
how did it work out for you? using the shop vac?
How is it not long-lasting when applied after construction but long-lasting when applied before construction? If you are diligent and thorough, post construction application should be equally effective and long-lasting.
“Access”
I’m certainly not an expert in construction, but once the house is built, almost all the wood is covered. You can still drill and fill or dust the wood, but can’t apply as a wet solution that soaks into the wood.
Perhaps you could do just as good with persistence. For that matter you could remove your siding, etc. and basically have the same options as the initial construction. (not practical of course, unless you have a need to do so anyways.)
I have a wooden spool I want to sand and paint. It’s been in my backyard for a year now and I want to spray it to get any bugs out. Would this be safe to spray on it and then touch after it dries so I can paint it?
Although disodium octaborate and disodium tetraborate are very simliar in use and effects, it is the latter which is the common Borax, not the octaborate.
Using the shop vac the first victim to be killed will be the man himself. Boric acid taken internally by breathing or swallowing it, is as poisonous to people as it is for roaches.
Seems like nobody is taking this comment seriously. I thought the article is irresponsible in not pointing out the real health hazards of using borax. The writer also doesn’t discern between the alkaline Borax salt, which is highly irritating on skin contact, and fatal when ingested, and boric ACID, which I’ve used countless times as a
very effective antiseptic for eye infections, at 1% dilution, not stronger.
Don’t be silly. Do your research instead. Borax is less toxic than salt and alcohol. Think more: it’s free.
My box says sodium borate. So which one is it? Thank you.
Boric acid is just like a salt to humans, is it not?
Search for Boric Acid on Amazon, the first things up will be Vaginal Suppositories. One of the primary uses of Boric Acid. It’s attracted to moisture, making it a great treatment for wood rot, while it’s there it will kill all boring insects, I think it’s the perfect treatment alternative.
Nice article. Can borax be packed inside termite cavities and sealed with putty to make sure that if any wood termites survive the cleaning, they will be killed when they move?
where can we boy the borax
Lowe’s
Borax powder is used for a laundry cleaning booster and mites in washers can be found in Walmart near washing soap laundry, and Ace Type Stores.
How would there be mites in a washer?
The clothing, bedding, etc. that’s cleaned in the washer.
Most hardware stores carry it. Many grocery stores also have it on hand.
Carpenter ants move out when the dust is applied. Or they just die. We had a stump the carpenter ants had a colony in. I sprayed a water borax solution around it, on it, and sprinkled dust over it.
What is the mixture/concentration used to make the solution for use around the foundation (trench)?
One teaspoon per 8oz water
How much borax powder per gallon of water ? How much solution per foot of foundation length?
Thank you, Bob
How to prepare organic granules for controlling termites in pomegranate it fruit gardens using borax, Nanook, pingamia, oil, casteroil MP
What would happen if I took a box of Borax soap and mixed it in my 25gal sprayer and sprayed the crawl space and foundation of my house. I know I have termites along the concrete front porch and around the garage in the back. My thinking is spray strong, kill them all and let god sort it out. Will this approach work? I have a partial basement the rest is all exposed crawlspace and I figure this shouldn’t contaminate and both any other soil then close to the house.
Caution needs to be implemented when attempting home remedies. Its always best to get the advice of a professional first.
its not correct to that professionals do it better or safer.
Best is to learn and about it and then apply it correctly. I colleague of mine moved in to a house in a luxury compound in Saudi arabia. First morning, their daughter was found dead. The professional maintenance company had put some poison outside her room, and poisonous gases somehow came inside daughters room.
The one teaspoon per 8 ounces of water is great. Mix up a gallon which would be about 16 teaspoons to the gallon. Add a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Roll up some cardboard sticks about 12″ long and half the diameter of a drink coaster and rubber band each one to keep them from unrolling. Soak them in the Boric acid solution and bury them in the soil close to the foundation and standing upright 2″ below the soil level. Bury new ones every year or so. These are your baits and will be eaten over time by the Termites.
The sugar and salt is to taste?
Termites have no interest in anything but wood and cellulose. Can’t imagine what the sugar and salt is for. Just saying.
The sugar and borax solution won’t attract termites, but it will ants and can kill the entire colony.
I just mixed borax in with my paint when I painted the house. I mixed it with the cement in my slab and I sprayed it on every piece of wood before it was put on the house. Oh and I trenched around the house using the borax solution 2%. If I get termites I’m going to kill myself.
What’s the recipe for borax foam to insert into walls?
I used borax to kill ants, never seen any more!
Did you add sugar to it?
The worst enemy of termites is ants. I have seen them battle termites where I crack termite tubes.
Where cano get bórax?
The proper chemical name for Borax is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate. To make a 2% solution, dissolve 20g in 1 litre of water. You can soak 50x50mm radiata pine blocks in this solution for about 24hours. Let them air dry (or oven dry at 120 deg C for 2hours) and bury them in stations around the house.
Written by a retired,
qualified analytical chemist
could i do this and place in dark not used Hot attic to help kill off wood termites \
Mr D cmabz@me.com
When using the trench with borax solution, what is the correct solution mixture of borax and water and would anti freeze help how much solution per linear foot? Alpine Bob
On the borax soak into pine blocks & dry can i use this to place in dark hot atic where i am haveing wood termite problem will the work.
IE:
Bert says
09/04/2022 at 12:26 pm
The proper chemical name for Borax is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate. To make a 2% solution, dissolve 20g in 1 litre of water. You can soak 50x50mm radiata pine blocks in this solution for about 24hours. Let them air dry (or oven dry at 120 deg C for 2hours) and bury them in stations around the house.
Written by a retired,
qualified analytical chemist
Mr D
561 436-5036
cmabz@me.com