The thick walls and rounded finished edges lend themselves to design flexibility and a beautiful, earth-connected appearance. Occupants report an experience of emotional warmth and peace. Usually straw from some type of grain is used, such as wheat, rice, or barley. Any straw is acceptable so long as it meets established requirements for density and low moisture. Arguments against strawbale as a building material arise from ignorance.
Insects have no interest in it because all the nutritional value has gone into the grain.
Wood, by contrast, is cut fresh and full of nutrients. So termites and other burrowing insects are a hazard for wood structures, but not for strawbale. Proper construction includes barriers that keep out insects, rodents, and other critters, but the main purpose of the barriers is to keep the straw dry. Trapped moisture is the only true enemy of strawbale. If the builder follows the design criteria available in strawbale building codes and other readily available information, a strawbale structure can last indefinitely.