A: Cochineal scale insects (Dactylopius species) suck sap from prickly pear cacti and large populations can reduce the vigor of the plants. Treating them is optional.

As a dye, the female cochineal insect is harvested, killed, and sun or oven dried. The insects are small, so it takes roughly 70,000 insects to make a pound of dye.

Cochineal bugs — oval-shaped scale insects around 0.2 inches long — are harvested and turned into the natural dyes cochineal extract, carmine, and the pure pigment carminic acid.

Speaking of insect pests, “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook” (Cold Springs Press, 2021), by Susan Mulvihill, is excellent, more instructive regarding its subject matter than any I have seen.

Speaking of insect pests, “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook” (Cold Springs Press, 2021), by Susan Mulvihill, is excellent, more instructive regarding its subject matter than any I have seen.