nuisible

Nuisible is an adjective used in French and in some English contexts to denote something that causes harm, damage, or nuisance. In its agricultural and ecological usage, nuisibles are organisms or other agents that reduce crop yields, threaten health, or degrade habitats. The term is often used in pest management to distinguish harmful species from harmless or beneficial ones.

Etymology: the word nuisible comes from French, meaning harmful, derived from nuire to harm; it is cognate with English noxious in some senses.

In agriculture and forestry, nuisibles include insects, vertebrate pests such as rodents or birds, weeds, and certain pathogens. Urban contexts may label rats, termites, or other species as nuisibles due to damage to buildings, health concerns, or nuisance in public spaces. The designation of a species as nuisible can trigger regulatory control measures, monitoring, and removal programs, though policies vary by country and locality.

Control approaches fall under integrated pest management (IPM): monitoring, threshold-based decision making, and a combination of cultural, physical, biological, and chemical controls designed to reduce nuisibles with minimal impact on non-target organisms and the environment. The term also signals the need to distinguish nuisibles from beneficial organisms, such as pollinators or natural enemies of pests.

In some jurisdictions, statutes or policy frameworks define nuisibles for purposes of public health, agriculture, or environmental protection. The concept remains context-dependent, and the label can differ across agricultural, ecological, or urban planning discussions.