Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate (Borax)

When there is a pest problem in the home, not only is it worrisome because the insect infestation may grow out of control, but it can also be worrisome if toxic chemicals need to be applied. People with pets and children may want a safer, more natural means of control. One active ingredient that can successfully eliminate several different household pests and has been used for years as a natural pest control option is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate or Borax.

Solutions Pest & Lawn is proud to carry products containing Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate as the main active ingredient. Shop our Borax products exclusively on this page and learn some background information and facts regarding this great pest control ingredient.

What Is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate?

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate, also known as Borax, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of Boric Acid. This active ingredient is a white powder of soft, colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.

Borax is used for a wide range of applications, with the most common being cleaning agents. It is also utilized as an ingredient in cosmetics, household detergents, and many other products. Aside from these uses, this versatile compound is also great for home pest control.

Borax is ground into a fine powder to prevent pests in the home and is applied in indoor cracks and crevices, wall voids, and other hard-to-reach areas where conventional pesticides are not feasible or effective. Insecticides containing Borax can control ants, cockroaches, silverfish, and fleas. The active ingredient also works as a fungicide and herbicide.  

How Does Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate Work?

Mode of Action

The mode of action for Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate and what makes it so effective in pest control is its ability to kill insects without using toxic chemicals that could be dangerous for the applicator to inhale or ingest. When applied, the Borax acts as a stomach poison to the insects that come into contact with or consume the active ingredient.

Aside from being a stomach poison, most Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate is also abrasive to insect exoskeletons. It can also prevent the growth of fungi by affecting the production of reproductive spores. Borax also works as an herbicide by interrupting photosynthesis, hindering growth and ATP production.

Benefits of Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate is an effective pest control active ingredient and is relatively safe compared to other active ingredients. 

Use Borax to treat ants, roaches, and other labeled household pests infesting structures indoors or outdoors.

Drawbacks of Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate is not attractive or something that will lure insects to the active ingredient. If the target pest doesn't come near it, it won't do any killing and can be rather ineffective. That is why you need to apply the active ingredient where the pests frequently so they will have no choice but to encounter it by crawling over the product or curiously eating and ingesting it as they forage. That said, the active ingredient is sometimes used in bait products with other ingredients that can serve as attractants.

Do not use Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate when treating insects with piercing mouthparts or feeding on plant juices or blood (like bed bugs, mites, lice, and aphids), as they will not be interested in ingesting Borax. 

Is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate Safe?

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate is safe when applied according to the label directions. When applying the product, it is advisable to keep children and pets away and wear the proper protective equipment, such as a protective mask and eyewear.

What to Expect

Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate or Borax is not a product that will immediately eliminate the target pest. You will have to be patient if you choose this method of control. It could take a few days for the target insect to succumb to the effects of this slow-killing active ingredient, between 48 and 72 hours. 

For Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate, which comes in dust form, you should use a handheld pesticide duster to apply it more precisely where the pests are hiding.

In most cases, using Borax alone may not be enough to control a heavy insect infestation. It should be used alongside other insecticide products, so if one active ingredient or treatment method doesn't succeed in killing the insects, the other one will.

Featured Products

Intice Rover Ant Bait—InTice Rover Ant Bait is a liquid bait from Rockwell Labs specifically designed for Rover ants, which have become a major problem in the South over the past few years. With a consistency similar to Thiquid, Intice Rover Ant Bait contains 5% sodium tetraborate decahydrate. The worker ants take this product back to the nest and share it with the colony, providing a great knockdown.

Cymex Natural Bed Bug Spray - Cymex natural bed bug spray kills bed bugs on contact better than any other natural spray on the market and with the least scent. It is your green solution to bed bugs. Cymex is also labeled for fleas, dust mites, carpet beetles, and household fungi.