|
|
|
|
Bora Care & Shell-Guard
- Borate-based wood treatments -
|
Summary: Bora Care and Shell-Guard are borate-based liquids used to protect both softwoods and hardwoods against wood destroying insects and dry rot fungi.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
|
|
 Bora Care (Nisus Corporation) and Shell-Guard (Perma-Chink Systems) are borate-based wood treatments for the prevention of decay fungi and insect damage. Both products use glycol* to increase the penetration of borate into wood fibers. See the specimen labels below for technical and product use information.
As an insecticide/fungicide both Bora Care and Shell-Guard are labeled for use against termites, wood destroying beetles, carpenter ants, and wood decay fungi. Both are very effective against many of the most important wood destroying organisms and exhibit relatively low toxicity compared to other pesticides.
common misspellings and common names: Boracare, Shellguard
*Bora Care contains ethylene glycol while Shell-Guard contains a less toxic form of glycol called propylene glycol.
|
 |
|
hardwood dimensional lumber; photo by Stephen Bratkovich, USDA Forest Service.
|
|
|
|
|
Using Bora Care or Shell-Guard
Both Bora Care and Shell-Guard are thick liquids that should be diluted with warm water prior to use. Most applications call for a 1:1 dilution (see specimen labels below). Bora Care is 40% sodium borate while Shell-Guard is less concentrated at about 25%. Both can be applied with a garden sprayer, paint brush or paint roller but follow application instructions carefully.
The main advantages of products like Bora Care and Shell-Guard, when compared to conventional pesticides, are: low toxicity, very long residual activity, highly effective, and low application costs. The main disadvantage is that because borates are water soluble they must be protected from excessive moisture with a water resistant finish when used in wet environments like exterior log homes.
|
|
|
Is the glycol necessary?
Glycol-based borates like Bora Care and Shell-Guard are somewhat more expensive than powdered borates such as Timbor. Some studies have shown that the glycol component helps the borates penetrate deeper into wood fibers while other studies found no difference. The active ingredient in both products is boric acid and borate is a salt of boric acid.
|
|
|
|
Specimen labels
Specimen labels are the official product labels that contain all of the information required for pesticide registration in the US, and instructions for use of the product.
|
|
|
|
 |
If our information is useful click here to help us maintain and grow 'Bugs!
|
|
|
|
Don't forget to bookmark us for next time - press ctrl-D in most browsers.
|
|
|
|
|
Mission: To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information for solving common insect and mite problems around your home, business and landscape using least-toxic methods.
Jack DeAngelis, Ph.D.
Please see the Disclaimer statements as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2004-... LivingWithBugs, LLC. All rights reserved. Page Updated: 1/4/2010
|
