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Timbor Insecticide & Wood Preservative
-A low toxicity wood treatment for insects and rot fungi-
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Summary: Timbor is a natural insecticide and fungicide that is widely used as wood preservative and protectant. It is composed of nearly pure sodium borate, a mined crystalline form of boron.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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 Timbor is an insecticide/fungicide/wood preservative composed of 98% sodium borate (borax), a sodium salt of boric acid. Timbor itself is a white, fluffy powder that can be applied directly to wall voids, or dissolved in water and applied as a course spray* to surfaces. See the factsheet and specimen label below for additional technical and product use information.
As an insecticide/fungicide Timbor is labeled for use against termites, wood destroying beetles, carpenter ants, and wood decay fungi. It is very effective against many of the most important wood destroying organisms and exhibits relatively low toxicity compared to other pesticides.
common misspellings and common names: Tim-Bor, borax
* Timbor is not a wettable powder formulation but rather dissolves completely in water to make a true solution.
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Borax (sodium borate) crystals from which Timbor and other borate products are made. Photo by Aram Dulyan, Wikipedia
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When used as a spray borate crystals are deposited on the wood when the water dries and may even penetrate a short distance into the surface. Borate acts as a stomach poison to any insect that comes into contact with this layer. Keep in mind that since borate is water soluble it must be used in dry situations or sealed over to make it waterproof. Often, water proof stains are applied once the spray dries.
Specimen label and factsheet
A specimen label contains all of the information for using and registering a pesticide product in the US. Specimen labels should only be used for general reference, however. The label attached to the product you are actually using is the final, often amended information.
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The main ingredient in Timbor, borax, is mined as a crystal of nearly pure sodium borate. Borax itself has many commercial uses including water softening, flame retardent, glass additive, and as an insecticide/fungicide. See the Related Articles below for more information.
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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.
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