powder post beetles??

[Michelle Rich]

I think I have powder post beetles in some wood. My memory says folks have suggested a product called boracare??? in yrs past on this forum. I have googled/checked big box stores, etc, and cannot find a product called boracare. Is my memory wrong on the name? thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's a long thread about the stuff, complete with recipes for making your own. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?233066-Home-made-bora-care-amp-timbor

[Steve Eure]

Michelle, unfortunately you won't find Bora Care in the box stores. Look for it on Google. There are several business' that sell there including Amazon. There are other substitutes for Bora Care, but my memory cannot remember their names. Maybe others here will chime in to give you more sound advise.

[Richard Coers]

Boracare is a preventative. The borax in it is meant to deter and kill a beetle trying to lay eggs. It won't kill the beetles (and stages of the beetle) already inside the wood. Only getting the wood above 135 degrees is accepted by the industry after it is infested. That 135 has to be all the way through the wood, so a chamber around 150 is required. You'll get lots of folk remedies and some anecdotal stories about how people have treated wood, but I only accept the industry standard. The choice is yours.

[Michelle Rich]

thanks all

[Jim Becker]

Yea, sadly, for an existing infestation, only high heat for a period of time to physically kill both the critters and their coming progeny can preserve the material. Otherwise, it needs to be destroyed. While you are determining what course you will take, be sure to get this material out of your shop and away from other material. They can infest both the other material and the building if it's made from wood.