Question
Cactus
I have a red/orange moon cactus that has a long green body and a round
red/orange head sort of part. Recently there has been these small beige seed-
looking things on the side nearest the window screen. They seem to all be the
same size. The window is usually open, and I live in a South Florida climate. Can
you help me to determine what these are and what to do about them?
AnswerHello Carly,
Yikes! These aren't seeds at all. It looks like your cactus has cochineal scale, a parasitic insect. If you squeese one of them, red liquids come out of it. You can get rid of them by adding water and dish soap into a spray bottle and spray it with high pressure. Turn the pot sideways to reduce the amount of dish soap landing on the soil. The white stuff may not come off, but the parasites will sick and die.
