Online Publication Session - X International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal

The wild cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae, Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) is the main pest of prickly pear plantations. Although there are different strategies for its control, the use of insecticides is the most widely utilized. In Mexico, most of the insecticides used have a high toxicity and are not authorized by the government office that regulates these substances. Fortunately, eight species of insects have been found in Mexico that are predators of wild cochineal. These insects have overcome the means of protection that the cochineals have against predators, including a filamentous cover and the presence of carminic acid in their body, through different mechanisms. Some species prefer to consume adult cochineals and other nymphs. Some of these species search for and consume cochineal on the cladode surfaces, while others remain under the filamentous cover of the cochineal where they complete their larval stages and pupation. Evaluations carried out in prickly pear plantations that do not use insecticides show that the joint action of these predators effectively regulates the population growth of the wild cochineal and prevents it from reaching pest status. The abundance of the different species of predators responds to the density of the cochineal and generates what is called an autonomous biological control. To favor this ecological process, it is necessary that the community of organisms that consume wild cochineal be conserved within prickly pear plantations. It is recommended that conservation biocontrol (i.e., the conservation of cochineal natural enemies) be favored over the use of insecticides in Mexican prickly pear plantations.