Cochineal FYI (from erincpow)
Dactylopius
Cochineal Scale Bugs
Genus Dactylopius
Dactylopius coccus is not recorded in the US. There are four species of Dactylopius in California and they will typically need to be slide-mounted for species-level ID. True cochineal has a light dusting of wax and the female bodies are visible:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71893623
- erincpow disagrees this is True Cochineal Bug Dactylopius coccus