a pestiferous weed that has given gardeners no end of grief
Recent Examples on the WebAfter the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48), the Dutch were probably eager for reminders of ordinary domestic life, even pestiferous ones, and for images of quiet and tenderness. Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2017 Mr. Marín said three factors favored his coffee: the elevation, which is high enough to keep pestiferous coffee borer bugs at bay; the humidity, which stems from passing clouds that provide a steady stream of moisture; and the red soil. Gustave Axelson, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2017
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin pestifer pestilential, noxious, from pestis + -fer -ferous