Patent ID: 8709462

Claim:
A man-made structure comprising: at least one non-wood building component having a first portion disposed adjacent ground or soil, a second portion vertically disposed above the ground or soil, and an above-ground surface which is susceptible to the formation of termite shelter tubes; and at least one wood or cellulosic building component disposed adjacent the second portion of the non-wood building component without being adjacent ground or soil; wherein the above-ground surface of the non-wood building component is coated with a borate solution consisting essentially of from about 10.0 weight percent to about 30.0 weight percent disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, and at least one glycol, and an aqueous solvent, and wherein the borate solution coating provides a termite barrier which is effective to substantially reduce termite tube formation across the surface of the non-wood building component, and wherein the at least one glycol is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, monoethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof.