pest
Sign in to saveliving organism detrimental to humans or human concerns
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A pest is any living organism that causes harm to humans or things humans care about, such as crops, livestock, property, or health. Pests matter because they can destroy food and resources, spread diseases, and create significant economic losses.
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Varied carpet beetle larvae, Anthrenus verbasci, damaging a specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in an entomological collection
A pest is any organism harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. Humans have modified the environment for their own purposes and are intolerant of other creatures occupying the same space when their activities impact adversely on human objectives. Thus, an elephant is unobjectionable in its natural habitat but a pest when it tramples crops.