Borates: A "Solid Choice" for the Pretreat Market
As
a wood treatment within structures, Bora-Care eliminates hassles
while providing PMPs significant cost savings.
Making money in the ultra-competitive pre-treat business used to be a losing proposition. But there’s one pre-treatment product on the market that’s helping to level the playing field, allowing more pest management professionals to reduce their costs, improve profits and attract new customers.
Bora-Care, from Nisus Corporation, is a borate termiticide, insecticide and fungicide applied as a wood treatment. As such, it eliminates a number of potential problems, offering greater convenience and reduced costs.
A DIRECT HIT
Unlike soil treatments, Bora-Care is applied directly to the wood in a two-foot barrier on the walls, subfloor and still plates. “Because only the wood is treated,” says RonSchwalb, national technical manager for Nisus, “Bora-Care applications costs less to apply than traditional soil termiticides. And it can be applied in a fraction of the time, using much simpler application equipment.”
PMPs say Bora-Care’s simpler application requirements translate to big cost savings. “ I like its because we don’t have the wear and tear of hauling a 2,000 pound rig behind our trucks,” says Ken White, president of Aqua-Term, Inc., based in Valdosta, Ga. “[With Bora-Care,’ all we have is a small sprayer and mixer to carry around.”
SIMPLE SCHEDULING
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| Bora-Care is applied with a commercial sprayer, so no expensive equipment is necessary. |
Furthermore, conflicts in construction schedules and weather schedules and weather delays no longer affect PMPs. The product can be applied any time after the walls and roof are up but before insulation is installed. Conversely, traditional soil treatments must be applied to dry ground after the footers are drug.
“You have a bigger window to apply the material and do a better job than you can with soil pretreats overall,” said John Mramor, owner of the Orkin franchise headquartered in Cornelia, Ga. “Builders don’t have to put you on a time schedule.”
EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Bora-Care also provides a number of environment advantages over traditional pretreatments. There’s no longer concern about disturbing the termicide barrier, so excavation , leaky water lines and post-construction landscaping no longer pose a threat to the termite control treatment. And because it’s a borate-based product, Bora-Care is a natural, low-odor and more environmentally friendly alternative to tradition soil applications. “People are more educated nowadays and they don’t want hundreds of gallons of chemical pumped around their house,” says Byron Loomis, termite department supervisor of Yates-Astro Exterminating Services, based in Savannah, Ga. “This gives us a way to satisfy them.”
With soil treatments, there is also the concern of chemicals leaching into nearby water sources. With Bora-Care, this threat is eliminated.
LONG-LASTING PROTECTION
The efficacy tests of Bora-Care show excellent results, notes Nisus President Kevin Kirkland. Research from an ongoing nine-year study at the Harrison Experiment Forest and Mississippi State University’s Forest Products Laboratory proved that wood treated with Bora-Care repelled termite attacks and prevented subterranean termites from tubing over wood. In tests, Bora-Care was even proven effective against Formosan termites. And unlike soil termiticides, Bora-Care provides protection against virtually all wood-destroying insects, including carpenter ants, old house borers and powder post beetles. It also controls wood decay fungi.
More information:
- Borates Boast a Legendary Track Record
- Borates Offer a Competitive Edge For McCall
- Agencies, Builders Recognize Bora-Care's Benefits