How to treat for Wood Borers in my cabinet

We seem to have some kind of wood borer in an old kitchen hutch door. The holes are small and we’ve only found 1 active borer so far but I want to get this treated. I’ve been looking on your site and believe Borathor is the way to go. My question is will it penetrate a couple of inches? These doors are just 1 inch thick but the base and sides of the cabinet are thick. Some areas might be 2-3 inches wide and I can only treat from one side. I’m afraid the Borathor won’t get deep enough into these sections so let me know if there is something else I should use.

Generally speaking, BORATHOR will be your best option for long term, permanent control if there isn’t much of a problem, the wood is unfinished and time is not of the essence. This short video explains this in less than a minute..

BORATHOR IS ODORLESS, LONG LASTING AND CONTROLS ALL INSECTS THAT WANT TO EAT WOOD ALONG WITH MOLD AND WOOD ROT.

As you probably read on the Borathor page, you’ll need the wood to be unfinished since Borathor will not penetrate through a finished surface. So if there is shellac, paint or varnish applied to all sides of the wood, using Borathor would not be an option.

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So how can you tell if Borathor will absorb? It’s easy.

If the wood will absorb water, it will absorb Borathor. We get asked a lot about various stains and other treatments and if Borathor will go “through” them but really the only way to know for sure is to test a small area by putting water on it. If the water beads up and rolls away, it means the wood has a protective cover/shell on it that will limit or eliminate Borathor as a viable treatment option. But if the water stays in place and then soaks down within 5 minutes? You can use it.

Borathor is odorless, non-staining and works as a stomach poison. This means that larval stages of insects like Powder Post beetles, adult termites and anything attempting to “eat” treated wood will succumb to the treatment and die. But there is a drawback.

BORATHOR WILL NOT KILL EGGS OR PUPAE!

Yes, this is true. And for your cabinet (or any piece of furniture, wood statue, etc.)? That could be an issue. But let’s make it clear on why this is important…

In regards to the eggs it can’t kill; no big deal. Once they hatch and try to eat? They won’t live much longer because the wood around them will all be treated. This will lead their demise. But what about the Pupae? They’re a whole other story.. And this story might sway you to use the next option. Here’s why.

Since Borathor won’t kill eggs or pupae, expect to see a “surge” of hatching pupae in the weeks after you treat. This means a lot of “fresh” new exit holes could happen. This is because the change of available “moisture” in their host wood (what you’re treating) will typically excite the soon to hatch pupae. This usually makes them come out sooner rather than later. And this means a surge of new holes – something that could be an issue if the treated piece is valuable or if you wish to keep it cosmetically sound without further damage.

And just how long these last remaining pupae continue emerging is anyone’s guess. For small pieces like statues, chairs or dressers, maybe 3-6 months? In general, small pieces run out of developing stages quickly. But there are boring insect species that can remain active for over 10 YEARS after you’ve treated when using Borathor so keep that in mind. And this applies to any wood you spray like sill plate, floor joists, rafters and studs.

SO IS THERE A TREATMENT THAT WILL KILL ALL STAGES OF ANY BORING INSECT ON CONTACT?

There is. And this is why professionals will often go with MAXXTHOR EC and BASE OIL.

Maxxthor EC is oil based (and why it’s one of the only products that can be mixed with Base Oil) along with being one of the strongest active chemical options we have for use on active pests.

 

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Maxxthor is labeled for wood injection when treating for wood boring pests like TERMITES and Wood Borers. Once treated, the wood will hold the chemical in place providing years of control that will both kill and repel. This is a unique quality Maxxthor enjoys, something Borathor doesn’t do (kill eggs, pupae or repel insects) so the added feature of repelling pests gives Maxxthor the edge. This is especially true when treating exposed wood likely to be targeted by pests like Carpenter Bees or Termites.

Plan on mixing 1/3 oz of Maxxthor with 1 gallon of Base Oil and getting about per 42.66 sq/ft of 1″ thick wood. This works out to about 3 oz of the mixed Maxxthor/Base Oil per square foot per inch of thickness.

So let’s say you are treating a 10 foot long 2×6; you would have about 10 square feet to treat that is 1″ thick (we know the board is not actually 6″ wide or 2″ thick but for this example, we’re using the “named” size to calculate coverage). So for that single board, it would take about 3 oz per foot (each foot is only 6″ wide BUT 2″ thick so 1.5 oz per foot times 2 brings us to 3 oz per foot).

** YOU WILL NOT GET NEARLY AS DEEP PENETRATION WHEN USING MAXXTHOR MIXED WITH WATER! **

When mixed with water, you will only get 1/4-1/2″ inch of penetration.

And this is why you’ll need BASE OIL.

The following short video shows just how Base Oil goes “into” wood when sprayed, painted or injected.

 

So for anything “in” the wood, Base Oil will literally “carry” the Maxxthor to the targeted pests and do this through 3-4 inch wide wood in less than an hour.

WHAT ABOUT ODOR?

Base oil is what we call odorless. Now the Maxxthor has a “slight” odor which is released when mixed with water. But when mixed with Base Oil, there is very little volatility and so very little odor.

CAN BASE OIL PENETRATE EGGS AND PUPAE?

It will! And this is where Base Oil really shines. So if you have wood with hundreds or thousands of young developing, it won’t matter. Maxxthor/Base Oil will kill them all immediately so the treated piece won’t continue to get damaged from emerging adults.

This means you can end the damaging impact hatching pupae will cause when they’re exiting wood floors, statues or furniture.

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WILL MAXXTHOR AND BASE OIL WORK ON ALL STAGES OF CARPENTER BEES TOO?

Yes! In fact the same benefit can be enjoyed if you need to kill of CARPENTER BEES nesting in your homes siding you’re about to paint. In the past you’d have to dust the hole and cap it leaving the tunnel open. This would allow hatching bees to crawl through the dust and die. But if you want to paint right away, you’ll prefer to fill the tunnels with caulking or wood putty so you can make the piece “sound and secure” before painting. Well if you treat with Maxxthor and Base Oil, now you can fill their tunnels and paint over them without fear of something hatching 6-12 months later and drilling new holes.

Base Oil is odorless, can be sprayed or painted onto wood and when treating for pests like termites or powder post beetles, POWER INJECTED.

This short video shows how this device works and how it can work when treating for carpenter bees.

 

The Power Injector is 32 oz can that you prepare with Base Oil and Maxxthor and then “surgically” inject through insect holes, drill holes, gaps, cracks and crevices where pests like to hide.

When treating for termites, now you can now kill all of them in the wood when using the Power Injector. This can be done because you can use their own galleries and tunnels to deliver the mixture. The Power Injector comes with standard aerosol can like straws – very much like the one you would use on a can of WD-40 – along with a 50″ Injection Tube. And since the Power Injector can be pressurized up to 90 psi, you can reach pests deep in wall voids or along planks sprays or aerosols cannot reach.

In the past we were recommending FS MP aerosol for this task but due to it’s strong odor and lack of power (the cans are only pressurized to 18-20 psi), the Power Injector is now your best option by far. Oh, and don’t forget the penetrating factor. FS MP will only migrate 1-2 inches but the Power Injector will get you 4+ inches of spread.

So compared to any aerosol, you get 2-3 times the penetration, no nasty odor AND you get to inject a mixture you create! This is a huge advantage for tough to treat pests.

In summary, the Power Injector with Maxxthor and Base Oil is the best option for active carpenter bee nests, powder post beetles in an attic, crawl space treatments, hard wood floors or any statue with borers. Especially since you can paint immediately after treating.

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BUT WHAT IF YOU WANT TO TREAT SOMETHING SENSITIVE LIKE AN UNFINISHED DINING ROOM TABLE OR COUNTERTOP?

Then go with PEST-XEMPT C.O. It uses food grade cotton seed oil as its main ingredient. When mixed with Base Oil, it too can penetrate up to 4 inches killing all stages it touches as it travels. But Xempt C.O. does not leave an active residual. For wood used in sensitive areas, this would be preferred over the Maxxthor.

PEST-XEMPT C.O. 8 OZ COTTONSEED OIL

So if you need something super safe that’s strong enough to kill what’s in the wood BUT not leave any lingering residual? Xempt C.O. in Base Oil would be the way to go.

Otherwise Maxxthor/Base Oil is the best for treating infested wood that is hatching adults doing damage to the wood.

As for new wood being installed like decks, sheds or fences around the home? Borathor is a great way to protect it for 5-10 years from insects and wood eating mold or fungus.