Bug ID please

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KimchiMonger Dallas, TX(Zone 8a) Sep 24, 2012

Bug ID please. Pictured on my Opuntia cactus and others in garden have these bugs. Any idea what bug this is? Is it harmful to the garden cactus? Should I treat the area? Thanks for any input from ya'll!

Randy S

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kittriana Magnolia, TX(Zone 9a) Sep 25, 2012

Wow! Almost like an ant- haven't seen that one!

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2ndChance Tempe, AZ(Zone 9b) Oct 02, 2012

The bugs are fascinating. The white stuff is cochineal scale. It will spread like wildfire to all types of opuntia. The Mexican natives used it to make pink dye (scratch one). It comes right back after spraying them off and eventually leads to maggots infesting the inside. The only thing that I know works fast and true is Malathion.

This message was edited Oct 2, 2012 4:36 PM

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mcvansoest Mesa, AZ(Zone 9b) Oct 02, 2012

Chelinidea vittiger.

common name: Cactus Coreid or Cactus/Opuntia bug.

Those are actually immature specimens.
They won't kill the cactus as far as I know, but they 'suck' on it and leave unsightly discolored spots. I get them about once or twice a year. I used soapy water to wash them off after just hosing them of just made them come back. The soapy water seemed to get rid of them, but I have never had a lot of them.

The mature insect can get pretty big 1/2-3/4 of an inch or so. You can find plenty of pictures on bugguide.net when you look it up.

I am actually not sure that the white spots are made by cochineal scale I have the same cactus and I think it has big raised white Glochids, but I will check that when it is light tomorrow morning.

I looked at my specimen of the opuntia in the picture this morning and those while bumps around the glochids are natural not bug/scale related.



This message was edited Oct 3, 2012 10:15 AM

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KimchiMonger Dallas, TX(Zone 8a) Oct 17, 2012

Thank you all! I treated with soap water and voila! For now at least. Keeping a close eye on it all for next few months.

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