The cochineal (/ ˌ k ɒ tʃ ɪ ˈ n iː l, ˈ k ɒ tʃ ɪ n iː l / KOTCH-in-EEL, -⁠eel, US also / ˌ k oʊ tʃ ɪ ˈ n iː l, ˈ k oʊ tʃ ɪ n iː l / KOH-chin-; [1] Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived.

Aug 25, 2022 · Cochineal is a brilliant red dye extracted from the crushed bodies of parasitic insects which prey on cacti in the warmer parts of the Americas. The dye was an important part of trade in ancient Mesoamerica and South America and throughout the colonial era when its use spread worldwide.

Mar 8, 2025 · Cochineal, red dyestuff consisting of the dried, pulverized bodies of certain female scale insects, Dactylopius coccus, of the Coccidae family, cactus-eating insects native to tropical and subtropical America.

The meaning of COCHINEAL is a red dye consisting of the dried bodies of female cochineal insects.

Carmine (/ ˈ k ɑːr m ə n, ˈ k ɑːr m aɪ n /) – also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson lake, or carmine lake – is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium complex derived from carminic acid. [2]

Dactylopius coccus, the true cochineal, is the species most commonly used today and historically, because it has a higher carminic acid content and yields a better quality pigment than its congeners. The insect has been domesticated and is reared for its product.

Cochineal, a tiny, cactus-dwelling insect that produces a vibrant red pigment, was harvested for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples to produce a dye for their own textiles. Following the Spanish invasion of the Americas, cochineal ultimately became a globally traded commodity.

Cochineal, Dactylopius coccus, is a small scale insect native to subtropical South America through the Southwest United States that lives in stationary clumps on nopal, prickly pear cacti of the genus Opuntia.

The cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is made. The insect lives in tropical and subtropical South America, Mexico and Arizona. Its larvae eat cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on …

Jan 12, 2025 · The cochineal insects belong to the genus Dactylopius and are interesting not only on account of the dye, used in confectionery, that is obtained from them, but also because of the effect certain kinds have on their host-plants. The cochineals that infest certain kinds of prickly pear of the genus Monacantha have such an adverse effect on the plants, that the latter are …