# Prickly Pear Cactus **URL:** \ **Category:** Nature Talk\ **Created:** [October 25, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/prickly-pear-cactus/17593 "2020-10-25T18:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 19
**Author:** ![jasonhernandez74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jasonhernandez74/32/33615_2.png) [@jasonhernandez74](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jasonhernandez74)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 1:45am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/prickly-pear-cactus/17593/19 "2020-10-27T01:45:49Z")
> [@andrewgillespie](#): > > Cochineal bugs are being used as a biocontrol now, but has been hampered because people collect the eggs which are used to make cochineal red (aka carmine red) dye. On a similar note, the most commonly seen one in the Dominican Republic is in fact the one called the cochineal cactus. At one one time it was though to be a separate genus, _Nopalea_, but is now considered a true prickly pear. They are easy to ID to species if in flower, because the hot-pink flowers never open. It is so commonly cultivated, but also so easily resprouts from discarded pads, it is difficult to tell which ones are wild and which cultivated. [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46990190](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46990190) --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/prickly-pear-cactus/17593)._