Vermine

Vermine is a general noun used to describe pest animals regarded as nuisances or as threats to human health, property, or agriculture. It is not a formal scientific category; rather, it is a lay term that groups diverse species under a common label depending on context. In everyday usage, vermine can include small mammals such as rodents, as well as various insects and other opportunistic animals that thrive in human environments or cause damage to crops and stored goods.

In practical terms, vermine management is usually addressed through integrated pest management. Approaches emphasize sanitation to reduce available food and shelter, exclusion to prevent entry into buildings, and population reduction using traps, baits, and, where appropriate and regulated, chemical controls. Strategies are tailored to the specific species involved and to local environmental and public health regulations.

Vermine also appears in culture and fiction, where it is often depicted as proliferating swarms or highly adaptable pests that challenge urban systems. Such portrayals commonly use vermine to explore themes of ecological imbalance, resilience, and the limits of human control over the environment. While these depictions are fictional, they reflect real concerns about pest outbreaks and the social and economic impacts of infestation.

See also: Vermin; Pest control; Invasive species; Urban ecology; Swarm intelligence.