Boric Acid or other solution for wood protection

[Dorm]

I have a somewhat small stack of rough sawn material which I dearly want to protect. Most of it is oak, SYP, some maple, poplar and mahogany. All of it is lying around the shop in various stacks, except a bit of rough sawn oak, which is stacked outside on stickers. I am about to finish a shed extension to my barn, which will have a lumber rack to permanently store all of this and get it out of the shop. My question is should I spray some type of insecticide on the wood, while stored outside in the rack to ward off bugs; i.e. beetles and borers?

I've read (ad nauseum) about heat treatment, kiln or other drying processes and will definitely do this on an "as used" basis. I have the heater, an insulated box, thermometers, et al for this. But prior to using, is there a boric acid mixture or other such solution I can put in a pump spray device and thoroughly coat the material with? I've seen advice for controlling ants and such, but the quantity seems too small for what I had in mind. And neither am I sure of what the appropriate mix is. Thanks in advance for your help.

Ciao ... Dorm

 

[Tarhead]

Yes!
Timbor is what I use. Especially on the Oak. I got mine here: https://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/tim-bor-professional-insecticide
1lb of powder/gallon of warm water will treat ~200sqft. Pre-wet any boards that are dry with water to make sure you get penetration with the spray.

 

[Grimmy2016]

Yes!
Timbor is what I use. Especially on the Oak. I got mine here: https://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/tim-bor-professional-insecticide
1lb of powder/gallon of warm water will treat ~200sqft. Pre-wet any boards that are dry with water to make sure you get penetration with the spray.

I read everything on the page but couldnt find an answer to one question. Is it safe to spray on woods intended for cutting boards or other food prep related projects?

 

[ehpoole]

I read everything on the page but couldnt find an answer to one question. Is it safe to spray on woods intended for cutting boards or other food prep related projects?

Here is the MSDS sheet for Tim-bor:

http://www.biconet.com/crawlers/infosheets/TimborMSDS.pdf

You may also wish to consult with the manufacturer directly concerning your application.

 

[Grimmy2016]

Here is the MSDS sheet for Tim-bor:

http://www.biconet.com/crawlers/infosheets/TimborMSDS.pdf

You may also wish to consult with the manufacturer directly concerning your application.

Thank you - found what I was looking for:

Ingestion: Products containing Tim-bor are not intended for ingestion.Tim-bor has a low acute toxicity. Small amounts (e.g., ateaspoonful) swallowed accidentally are not likely to cause effects;swallowing amounts larger than that may cause gastrointestinalsymptoms.

 

[Tarhead]

I wouldn't use it for food contact items although you can wash your clothes in it.

 

[scsmith42]

Do you have a hot attic that you can store the lumber in? If so heat sterilize it and move it into the attic.

Rewetting dry lumber should never be your first choice, as it causes the wood cells to expand and then contract on the surface, and surface checking will result.

 

[Tarhead]

No problem here with checking or other water related issues on ~1000bf of different lumber I've sprayed over the past 15 or so years...SYP, RO, WO and Maple. Mostly freshly cut, some half dry and some very dry WO with active PPBs which I pre-sprayed with water at about 1 gal/200 sqft. I've always stacked and stickered in the shade after spraying and the boards were dry the next day. 1-2 gallons spread over 200 sqft of rough board face is not very much water. The rough surface wicks the water away very fast leaving the Timbor.