Q: My prickly pear cactus pads have some strange markings on them. Please tell me what is the cause and what I should do about it. A: Prickly pear cacti (Opuntia species) are one of the most ...

Two years ago, I wrote an article about cochineal scale (Dactylopius coccus), which had infested my prickly pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha). ... The insects create a white, ...

The desert prickly-pear, known to botanists as Opuntia phaeacantha, is the Southwest's most widespread and abundant species of cactus. Unlike the giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) that is ...

In many parts of the world, the prickly pear (opuntia) is used as natural fencing and decoration, thanks to its flat, fleshy pads, colourful flowers and purple fruits. Farmers at the communally ...

Q: I just read your prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-nitida) article and wanted to report that I have six such cactus in my front yard. They have been troubled with a sticky white insect pest for… ...

Hummingbirds pollinate claret cup cactus . ... Cactus beetles inhabit virtually every prickly pear cactus and every claret cup flower that I examined in Rabbit Valley, in the McInnis Canyons National ...

One of Cyprus’ superfoods, the prickly pear or papoutsosyko, lending its flavour and health benefits to afficionados over centuries, is at risk from the fast-spreading mealy bug. The invasive ...

Highly resistant to drought and able to re-sprout from the smallest piece of root, the prickly pear grows aggressively and is remarkably difficult to remove, said Lerina Legei, 80, an elder at the ...