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Choosing the right building material is crucial to guaranteeing the longevity and stability of your structure. Although wood has been one of the most popular choices for decades, wood construction buildings have their disadvantages. For example, wood structures can sustain serious damage as a result of pest infestations.

Termites, cockroaches, and other bugs as well as larger pets like rats and mice can cause significant damage to your building once you have them. Termites can eat through wood and compromise the integrity of your structure, rodents can leave behind disease-ridden droppings, and other bugs can find a permanent home in any building, but some building materials are more pest-resistant than others.

Pre-engineered steel buildings meet the highest standards when it comes to reliable protection from inclement weather, nature’s elements, and pest infestations. If you’re concerned about pest problems in your future building, steel is the right building material for you.

Steel is so Strong that Large Pests Can’t Get in

Large pests like rodents, squirrels, birds, and raccoons seek warm shelter in the winter. These kinds of pests will chew their way through wood buildings, but they’re less likely to chew through durable steel.

Steel buildings are also more secure than wood buildings, preventing larger animals from being able to chew through walls or cracks in the roofline.

Avoid Termites and Other Pest Infestations With a Steel Building

One of the most attractive characteristics of steel buildings is that they are termite-resistant.

Cellulose is a primary component of a termite’s diet. Cellulose is a carbohydrate that breaks down to simple sugars like glucose in termites’ bodies, providing them with the energy they need to sustain life. Wood contains cellulose, so termites are naturally attracted to wood.

If you get a termite infestation in a wood building, you’re left with no other option but to get termite treatment. Unfortunately, termite treatment contains a number of toxic chemicals that can be harmful to humans and animals, so you want to avoid using it inside your building.

Steel doesn’t contain any cellulose, and steel building materials are 100% inorganic, so it’s impossible for termites to eat through. Steel roofing, siding, paneling, and framing are all completely termite resistant. With no food supply, termites won’t be attracted to your steel building, so they won’t eat through the building materials or weaken your structure over time.

Termite damage can be devastating and costly, but that isn’t something you have to worry about when you choose steel as your building material.

Other pests that commonly infest wood buildings will also be less likely to infest steel buildings, such as:

• Carpenter ants – A relative to termites that carve hollow structures into the wood.
• Powderpost Beetles – A species of woodboring beetles that attack certain types of wood, reducing the wood to fine dust.
• Carpenter bees – Insects that burrow into plant material (including wood) and cause extensive property damage.

Ways to Further Pest-Proof Your Steel Building

While pests are less likely to invade your steel building than they are a wood building, there is still an opportunity for harmless bugs like spiders and flies to get in. Any storage or agricultural building can house pests if you don’t stay on top of things like cleanliness, moisture, and landscaping.

Pest-proofing a steel building is extremely easy, and it doesn’t cost a lot of money, either.

A pest-free building is important regardless of what the building is used for. You must keep your personal items, livestock, vehicles, and other valuables free from pests.

If you’re concerned about pests, here are a few ways you can further protect your steel building against pests:

• Don’t leave food or paper scraps out
• Remove trash regularly
• Don’t leave out open bags of things such as animal feed or seed bags
• Keep the interior as clean as possible
• Repair any leaks right away to avoid standing water and moisture
• Reduce humidity by protecting your building against condensation
• Inspect your building for gaps or cracks and seal the ones that you find
• Seal windows and doors properly
• Maintain outside landscaping by cutting back overgrown bushes or vegetation that is growing against your building
• Turn off lights at night to avoid bugs like moths and flies

Taking these steps will help you avoid all kinds of bugs and rodents, ranging from clingy cockroaches to the common mouse.

Get a Free Steel Building Quote Today

Whether you’re looking to construct a new workshop, shed, or storage building for personal or commercial use, pest infestations are one aspect you have to consider. Steel is one of the most pest-resistant building materials on the market, making it an ideal choice for people who are concerned about infestations.

At Titan Steel Structures, we offer affordable and reliable prefab steel building kits. As a leader in the steel building industry, we provide extensive customization options and building sizes.

We are always excited to work with new customers to help them create their ideal structure. If you have something in mind, give us a call today, and we’ll answer your questions and provide you with a free quick quote. Contact us today to get started.