Cochineal web starting to appear!

2 Oct

Harley & I are making the unscientific observation that when the Lindheiemer Senna go to seed, the acorns start dropping and the cactus tunas fade, the cochineal white webs start to appear on the cactus pads. Let the cochineal scraping commence!
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5 Responses to “Cochineal web starting to appear!”

  1. rsmalbin's avatar
    rsmalbin October 2, 2014 at 1:31 am #

    Happy harvesting the cochineal.

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  2. Liz's avatar
    Liz October 9, 2014 at 2:23 pm #

    Let me know when you’re harvesting madder … I’ll be in and out of town so hopefully our schedules match up.

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  3. Astrid's avatar
    Astrid February 27, 2015 at 10:14 pm #

    So interesting! It never occurred to me that some lucky dyers live in places where they can collect their own cochenille 🙂 Can you only collect them when they make webs?

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    • debmcclintock's avatar
      debmcclintock February 27, 2015 at 11:27 pm #

      Astrid, yes, they can be collected here in the Hill Country about Oct thru Jan. That is when they nest. They fade away over the winter.

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