Cochineal gets its red color from an insect called Dactylopius coccus Costa, which feeds on red cactus berries.    From Wordnik.com.  [digg.com: Stories / Popular] Reference

The red dye, carmine, comes from the bodies of female cochineal insects, Dactylopius coccus.    From Wordnik.com.  [14: From farm to market] Reference

The insect, Dactylopius coccus, isn't a beetle; it belongs to the Hemipterae (true bugs), not the Coleopterae (beetles).    From Wordnik.com.  [Cochineal and relatives] Reference

I covered this in depth in the is a tiny insect (Dactylopius coccus) that grows on cacti in Central and South America.    From Wordnik.com.  [Polite Dissent] Reference

The dye is derived from the Dactylopius coccus bug’s blood.    From Wordnik.com.  [A to Z: R is for Red Letters] Reference

Dactylopius odonidum, 425.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition] Reference