Editing Mealybug (section)

==Use in the textile industry==  

In Oaxaca, Mexico, where mealybugs are known as cochinilla algodonosa, the insects are intentionally cultivated and farmed. Dried mealybugs are ground into a dust, producing a [[Carmine|red dye]] that is used to colour fabrics, in artist's paints, and in cosmetics.

Note that while [[Cochineal|cochineals]] are commonly called mealybugs, and they share a very similar physical appearance and size, mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) are in a different family to cochineals (Dactylopiidae), of which there are several species.


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File:Nopales prickly pear cactus with mealy bugs.jpg|Prickly Pear Cactus with Mealybugs 
File:Mealy Bugs (Pseudococcidae) living on Prickly Pear Cactus Leaves (Leaves of Opuntia).jpg|Mealybugs on Prickly Pear Cactus Leaves 
File:Mealy Bugs Ground Red Dye.jpg|Mealybugs being ground into traditional red dye in Oaxaca, Mexico
</gallery>