Boric acid?

dubtom

Probably not the correct forum but I'm not sure of any where else to ask. Boric acid,is it generally available in pure form in chemists etc or would I have to go to a specialst to get it. Hope someone can help.

For anyone interested,it's highly recommended for the removal of cock roaches.
(not in my house thank God)

SOL

The reason it is recommended for the removal of cockraches is because it has a nasty habit of KILLING THINGS.


Signs and Symptoms of Exposure
Toxicity reported for borates in humans: ingestion or absorption may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, anderythematous lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. Other symptoms include:
circulatory collapse, tachycardia, cyanosis, delirium, convulsions, and coma. Death has been reported to occur
in infants from less than 5 grams and in adults from 5 to 20 grams.

It also kills things in water, and it is a powder so how it is administered for it to be usefull in the killing of cockroaches is not so clear.



Something that does kill cockroaches is permethryn, which you can get as an ingedient in many of the areosol bug killers.

dubtom

The reason I want boric acid SOL is because all the other methods simply don't work. It may very well be toxic if ingested or if a suitable face mask is not worn when applying it, but from what I have read on the web it's only slightly more toxic than table salt.

Mucco

I wouldn't get carried away about the toxicity, the LD50 in rats is 2.7g/kg, and, according to the MSDS, 'This substance is not classified as dangerous according to Directive 67/548/EEC'. Which makes me wonder if it will kill cockroaches?

It's pretty cheap at €30/kg, but as for a source.....?

M

dubtom

I'm not sure why it does,but it's said to be one of the oldest ways of getting rid of them,works at all stages of their life too,which most other stuff available does'nt. It used also in insulation to cut down on flea's etc,said to last the life time of a house if kept dry.

Jeapy

im not a chemist, but a medical scientist but am really suprised at this. our use of boric acid is in urinalysis. boric acid doesnt kill bacteria! its used in urine sample containers (red top ones) to maintain viability of bacteria and inhibiting them multiplying, giving an accurate view of the amount in a urine sample. would never have thought it could kill a cockroach!

SOL

Have you tried permethryn?

BTW, boric acid has a mode of action specific to insect physiology so it is far more toxic to them than us.

I know it isn't that toxic to people, it is even approved for use in kitchens in some countries and I wasn't trying to rain on your parade or anything, I was just making sure you were aware that it isn't sugar...

dubtom

Well we have tried several over the counter products and some 'pro' exterminators,with very little success,so tbh I'm not sure what product they use,they tend to keep the stuff they use secret.I'm not sure why the use of boric isn't widley known (bare in mind cockroaches weren't either in this country up to a few years ago) one reason could be that most people want a quick fix,where boric can take up to two weeks to totally kill off an investation.
In the US it can be got in walmart for $4 for a pint bottle,haven't had much look here.Jeapy, any chance you could find out where your company get's their supply?

mawk

I had a job selling bug killers to fat americans some while ago and most roach killers contained boric acid. seems the roaches dont like it very much.

as to where to get it here? sorry OP cant help. tried the phonebook for chemical suppliers?

chem

Have you tried your local Vet or pharmacist? Most will buy in fine chemicals for you if you have a good reason for having them. They will even open an account for you with the likes of SIGMA if you tell them it would be a regular supply needed.

krd

chem wrote: »

Have you tried your local Vet or pharmacist? Most will buy in fine chemicals for you if you have a good reason for having them. They will even open an account for you with the likes of SIGMA if you tell them it would be a regular supply needed.

I've tried to get this stuff in Ireland. And anyone I went to told me they couldn't sell it, as they were afraid of what people might use it for, and afraid of getting sued.

It's very common in the US. It's used for alot of different things.

backhand bertie

krd wrote: »

I've tried to get this stuff in Ireland. And anyone I went to told me they couldn't sell it, as they were afraid of what people might use it for, and afraid of getting sued.

It's very common in the US. It's used for alot of different things.

I don't do ads ....however I know that borax (the sodium salt of boric acid) is used in an ant killer/trap by one of those door to door cleaning products companies, and if you do a search for borax with the google shopping tool on google uk you will get lots of hits and via google ie you will get a few hits for an Irish ebay seller.

JSK 252

SOL wrote: »

The reason it is recommended for the removal of cockraches is because it has a nasty habit of KILLING THINGS.


Signs and Symptoms of Exposure
Toxicity reported for borates in humans: ingestion or absorption may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, anderythematous lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. Other symptoms include:
circulatory collapse, tachycardia, cyanosis, delirium, convulsions, and coma. Death has been reported to occur
in infants from less than 5 grams and in adults from 5 to 20 grams.

It also kills things in water, and it is a powder so how it is administered for it to be usefull in the killing of cockroaches is not so clear.



Something that does kill cockroaches is permethryn, which you can get as an ingedient in many of the areosol bug killers.

Quite funny isnt it that boric acid is used as an ointment for wounds, and in aqueous solution for eye lotions, eye drops, mouthwashes to name a few.

So it kills people and is helpful to peoples health.:p

Darando

Ebay?

Boric Acid on Ebay Ireland

donaghs

Has anyone bought this in Ireland? I'm interested in trying it out on some house pests. Will try the Chemists first.

Capt'n Midnight

I bought it many years ago in a chemist to use as a brazing flux.