Round Up the Usual Suspects - Insect Culprits

They tunneled in, bored through the beams, slipped through the cracks ­ looks like an inside job . .
Round up the usual suspects!

Carpenter Ant

Aggressive. Gathers in wall voids, then attacks. Keep on their trail.




Subterranean Termite
Stealthy. Likes to tunnel in forage and destroy. Stay alert.

German Cockroach
Prolific. Lurks in cracks and crevices. Be on the lookout.

House Cricket
Noisy. Prefers dark, warm retreats. Keep an ear out.

Drywood Termite
Big eater. Attics are a favorite hangout. Look for leftovers.

Powderpost Beetle


Nomadic. Frequents crawl spaces and basements. Winged and dangerous.

Earwig
Night crawler. Sneaks in and dispels foul odor. Sniff them out.

Fungus
Infectious. Destroys as it grows. Must be eliminated.

Silverfish
Educated. Enjoys warmth and good books. Check the library.

Old House Borer


Like an obnoxious relative, moves in and stays for years. Beware.




After a while, it's easy to spot the culprit (or culprits, as the case may be). They all leave certain tell-tale signs. No matter. If you use Tim-bor®, it's effective for all of them: wood-destroying organisms, a variety of fungi and a long list of other nasty insects.

Inspect the scene of the crime, round up the culprits and eliminate them.

Control of Wood Destroying Organisms with Tim-Bor®
Tim-Bor® is an EPA registered termiticide and insecticide. It's a unique product for the protection and remedial treatment of wood against all wood destroying organisms. Tim-Bor can be used for general pest control.

How does Tim-Bor work?
Tim-bor can be applied as a solution, foam or dust for wood treatment against wood destroying organisms and as a solution or dust for general insect control. Tim-bor, applied as a solution or form to wood, will penetrate into the wood to various depths dependent on the moisture in the wood and the wood species. The active ingredient does not break down.  Therefore, as normal moisture changes occur in the wood, Tim-bor is always available to be drawn deeper into the wood over time, providing long lasting protection. When used as a dust or as a crack and crevice solution, Tim-bor is not repellent to general pests.

The mode of action for Tim-bor is that of a slow acting stomach poison to insects and a contact poison to decay fungi. As wood destroying insects or their larvae feed on, tunnel in and/or digest wood, they accumulate the active ingredient into their systems. General insects such as cockroaches, ants, crickets, etc. will ingest Tim-bor through their normal preening habits after contacting deposits. The accumulation of the boron into their systems acts to poison the insect.

Since Tim-bor is slow acting, termites that have fed on treated wood can accumulate the active ingredient and still move among other individuals in the colony. The transfer of food from workers to nymphs, soldiers and reproductives will also transfer the ingested Tim-bor. Affected individuals also exhibit behavioral changes, becoming sluggish, stop feeding and become moribund. Others in the colony will avoid these individuals as well as area where these individuals have died. The Tim-bor treated wood is not the first choice for feeding, therefore Tim-bor treated wood is avoided by foraging termites. In addition, the Tim-bor powder used as a dust in wall voids and injected into galleries is toxic to termites.

Tim-bor treated wood also deters wood destroying beetle larvae. Eggs deposited on the surface of treated wood by beetles will have a reduced hatch rate. Larvae that may hatch from eggs will soon die after attempting to eat into Tim-bor treated wood. In infested wood, the larvae will die from ingesting Tim-bor treated wood as they tunnel toward the surface of the wood to pupate. Depending on the life cycle of the beetle, type of beetle, and seasonality of treatment, adult beetles may emerge but will not reinfest the wood.

Carpenter ants do not consume wood but they can cause substantial and rapid damage by excavating cavities in wood for nesting. Tim-bor treated wood is very unpalatable and is not excavated by carpenter ants. Treated wood alone may not prevent or eliminate a carpenter ant infestation, since the ants can penetrate construction features and void chewing treated wood. However, Tim-bor powder used as a dust in nesting sites in wood and in wall voids and around conduit and plumbing will control these pests. The Tim-bor powder adheres to the carpenter ant's body and is ingested as the insect attempts to clean the powder off.

Decay fungi can infect and rapidly destroy wood where there are moisture problems. Some fungi can actively transport moisture from the ground or a leak to wood of a lower moisture content in efforts to expand the colonization of the wood. Tim-bor is highly toxic to decay fungi and will kill the fungi present and/or protect against future infections.

Problems which may have led to the infestation or that may do so in the future must be corrected. This includes correcting moisture leaks, providing adequate ventilation and moisture barriers and removal of debris from crawl spaces.  After the initial treatment, inspections should be performed on a regular basis and additional preventative spray treatments of Tim-bor (up to four) can be made. Each additional treatment will increase the borate loading and penetration into the wood, further protecting it from insect and fungus attack.

Tim-bor is also active against other general pests like silverfish, earwigs and crickets. Tim-bor powder can be applied directly to insect harborage areas or in solution as a crack and crevice application. When the insect crawls over treated areas, the tiny particles of powder adhere to the insect's body. Tim-bor is ingested as the insect attempts to clean the powder from its legs and antennae.