Table of Contents Seeing Red The Cochineal Scale Insect 4 Sweet as Honey Honeybee 10 Smooth as Silk Silkworm 18 Hard as Nails Lac Scale Insects 26 Glossary 30 Index 31 Show What You Know 31 Websites to Visit 31 About the Author 32
Seeing Red The Cochineal Scale Insect Food and textiles have been dyed for centuries One particular red dye made from the cochineal scale insect has been used for thousands of years This dye is called cochineal or carmine after the carminic acid the cochineal insect produces to ward off predators Cochineal insects were the first to make a strong vibrant red dye 4
In southern Mexico and Peru the cochineal’s native home carmine dye was used for medicine food cosmetics art and textiles Spanish conquistadors took cochineal-dyed fabric to Europe in 1519 Soon European merchants exported the cochineal-dyed cloth to the Middle East India Africa and the Americas Carmine use expanded and became part of the global trade Cochineals are now harvested mainly in Peru and the Canary Islands on plantations of prickly pear cacti the bugs preferred host 5
