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Bora Care & Shell-Guard Wood Treatments
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Summary: Bora Care and Shell-Guard are borate-based liquids used to protect both softwoods and hardwoods against wood destroying insects and rot fungi.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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hardwood dimensional lumber; photo by Stephen Bratkovich, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org
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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 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. 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.
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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 (borate is a salt of boric acid).
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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.
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