Cochineal Scale Insects

• Arizona has various true bugs, aphids and cicadas, including the cochineal scale insect. These soft-bodied insects are typically found on prickly pear cactuses and other species of cactus, where they pierce the plant's skin with their beaklike mouths and suck the juices out. During the nymph stage, cochineal scale insects coat themselves with a white waxy substance to protect against desiccation and the sun. These bugs produce a deep red pigment often called cochineal, or carmine. Historically, carmine has been used as a food and clothing dye. Its use as a food additive is making a comeback due to concern over artificial dyes.