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Cochineal insects are soft-bodied, flat, oval-shaped scale insects. The females, wingless and about 5 mm (0.20 in) long, cluster on cactus pads. They penetrate the cactus with their beak-like mouthparts and feed on its juices, remaining immobile unless alarmed. After mating, the fertilised female increases in size and gives birth to tiny nymphs ...
Dactylopius is a genus of insect in the superfamily Coccoidea, the scale insects.It is the only genus in the family Dactylopiidae. [1] These insects are known commonly as cochineals, [2] [3] a name that also specifically refers to the best-known species, the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus).
Opuntia cochenillifera is a species of cactus in the subfamily Opuntioideae. It may have been endemic to Mexico, but has been widely introduced. [1] The first description was in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus as Cactus cochenillifer. Philip Miller renamed it as Opuntia cochenillifera in 1768.
A new strain of the cochineal was introduced from Opuntia stricta collected in Australia in 1997 with encouraging results. The genotype of Dactylopius opuntiae which effectively controlled Opuntia stricta in South Africa was also introduced in Kenya, resulting in the reduction in flowering and fruiting, and leading to the death of the plants.
A cactus (pl.: cacti, ... Cochineal is a red dye produced by a scale insect that lives on species of Opuntia. Long used by the peoples of Central and North America ...
The cactus was also used as agricultural fencing and a feedstock for animals in times of drought, [16] [17] as well as in an attempt to establish a cochineal dye industry. The cactus quickly became a widespread invasive weed in the dry interior climate west of the Great Dividing Range, in New South Wales and Queensland, [16] eventually ...
Prickly pears (mostly Opuntia stricta) were imported into Australia in the First Fleet as hosts of cochineal insects, used in the dye industry. [1] Many of these, especially the tiger pear , quickly became widespread invasive species, rendering 40,000 km 2 (15,000 sq mi) of farming land unproductive. [ 2 ]
Opuntia monacantha, commonly known as drooping prickly pear, cochineal prickly pear, or Barbary fig, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae native to South America. Taxonomy [ edit ]