BajaNomad

Q: Borax wood treatment

Alm - 7-28-2018 at 07:51 PM

Is there a chemist in the house?
Thinking to put some as a preventive measure against termites.

Home Depot: Termite Powder 5 lbs, $9/ lb. Ingredients: Borax, namely Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-16-oz-Termite-Powder-Pack...

Home Depot: Laundry Additive 4 lbs, $1.10/ lb. Ingredients: Borax, namely Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate, https://www.homedepot.com/p/20-Mule-Team-65-oz-Borax-Laundry...

There are no other ingredients in each one. Quick search shows same uses for either substance.
Same thing, different labels?

El Jefe - 7-29-2018 at 06:39 AM

But how will the termites know it is for them if it says Laundry Additive on the box?

Actually, I think you are on to something. We have been using the laundry Borax for those teeny tiny ants and it seems to work. We mix it with honey or maple syrup and leave it out as bait. They like it. There are on line directions for mixing with sugar and hot water. Does help with the ants.

How were you going to apply it for termites?

SFandH - 7-29-2018 at 08:59 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Is there a chemist in the house?
Thinking to put some as a preventive measure against termites.

Home Depot: Termite Powder 5 lbs, $9/ lb. Ingredients: Borax, namely Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-16-oz-Termite-Powder-Pack...

Home Depot: Laundry Additive 4 lbs, $1.10/ lb. Ingredients: Borax, namely Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate, https://www.homedepot.com/p/20-Mule-Team-65-oz-Borax-Laundry...

There are no other ingredients in each one. Quick search shows same uses for either substance.
Same thing, different labels?


Out of curiosity, I looked it up.

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate - Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O

Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate - Na2B8O13·4H2O

Some of the numbers are subscripts, which didn't come through in the copy and paste.

These are both sodium borate salts. Boron (boric acid actually) is the lethal element to insects. The disodium salt has 8 boron atoms per molecule, the sodium salt has 4 boron atoms per molecule, I'm guessing that makes the disodium salt more effective.

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/borictech.html


[Edited on 7-29-2018 by SFandH]

Alm - 7-29-2018 at 08:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
The disodium salt has 8 boron atoms per molecule, the sodium salt has 4 boron atoms per molecule, I'm guessing that makes the disodium salt more effective.

Thanks. Disodium (aka Termite Powder) also has less water per molecule and WT % (is it weight %?) 98, while laundry additive is WT%: 60-100%. Looks like Termite Powder is "somewhat" more concentrated. At 8 times the cost.

Jefe - I'm going to mix it with water and brush onto the wood. Probably the more expensive stuff - once.

Laundry additive will be good to dust/spray around for cheap, later, once in a while. Didn't see termites yet, only fire ants.

[Edited on 7-30-2018 by Alm]

mtgoat666 - 7-29-2018 at 08:48 PM

Here is a tutorial on how to kill ants, especially Argentinian ants. https://www.cnpssd.org/chapter-blog/2017/5/7/general-stateme...

Boric acid won’t do anything to active termites.
Borate is used in treating lumber to prevent termites. Borate is applied to framing lumber before skinning frame. Prevents them from entering the wood.
Once inside the wood, only way to get rid of them is to tent bldg and gas them.

Bob and Susan - 7-30-2018 at 05:24 AM

you know the ONLY thing that kills termites is DEADLY poison...

they sell it at Home Depot in mexico

its a small bottle for $400pesos

you mix this poison with water and spray

don't waste your time thinking soap will kill off termites...it wont

PaulW - 7-30-2018 at 07:14 AM

Alm, Goat has it correct. Use Borate on new lumber during new construction. The stuff wont do any good on an existing building. The wood has to be coated on all surfaces of the wood to be effective. And you cannot do that on an existing building.
For an existing building hire the exterminator to come and inject his poison in the the sub surface under the building. The guy I hired in San Felipe uses the same product that the exterminators in CA use.
FYI, I replaced some termite damaged wood and I used a Borate solution on the replacement wood I used the product that Bluwood uses for their lumber.

Alm - 7-30-2018 at 05:46 PM

It's alright, wood structure is not infested yet and not walled.

Bob - there was no soap mentioned in this thread :)

volcano - 7-31-2018 at 06:51 AM

I used Boracare specifically made for absorption into wood, good for 20 yrs, rollered it on my palapa rafter poles...was the most nontoxic product I could find...did not want to fumigate...still termite free 12 yrs into it. A borax product