Pesticides used to control agricultural and household pests often cause unintended harm to non-target invertebrates, raising welfare and ecological concerns.
The capacity of invertebrates to experience suffering remains debated, but evidence is accumulating that many insects and crustaceans have nociceptive systems and show pain-like behaviours. Even setting aside individual welfare, the ecological role of beneficial invertebrates makes their mass killing a concern for the broader web of life. Transitioning to targeted, minimal-toxicity pest control — including biological controls, physical barriers, and precision application — reduces harm to non-target species while often achieving comparable pest suppression.