Myth:	Using borate-treated wood for new residential construction is too expensive.
Fact:	The incremental cost of using treated wood for a typical single family house is about two percent; a relatively small amount to help stop the spread of the Formosan termite, increase the durability of homes, and protect the value of your most important investment.
Myth:	The extra cost of using treated wood will devastate homeownership.
Fact:	The one-time cost of using treated wood is less than the cost of many short-term treatments that homeowners are forced to use after they discover termites in their homes.
Myth:	It is not necessary to use construction materials that are resilient to termite attack.
Fact:	In many parts of the world, wood destroying organisms are a severe threat to homes. Conventional solutions such as baits, soil treatments, and fumigation provide some relief for new and existing structures but none of these provide built-in protection to the structural materials that form the backbone of the house.
Myth:	Building homes with treated lumber will do nothing to solve the Formosan termite problem.
Fact:	Using borate-treated wood in residential construction takes a food source away from termites. This, along with other protection methods in an integrated pest management program, is an important tool for protecting your home.
Myth:	The use of treated wood is not required anywhere in the USA.
Fact:	Hawaii, a state with notable Formosan termite pressure, requires that wood for framing and structural components must be treated. Building codes in the US require the use of treated wood for many elements of a building. Virtually all wood base plates (sill plates) in new homes in the United States are preservative treated. Borate treated wood is an excellent choice for these applications.
Myth:	The money that would go into requiring the use of treated lumber would be better spent to pay for extermination of termites.
Fact:	It is not possible to eradicate termites. In fact, it is estimated that if the State of Louisiana were to treat the homes currently infested with termites, the cost of a one-time treatment would be nearly $1 billion in Greater New Orleans alone.