Making Dye Extract with Cochineal Bugs~ Video

Vivid pinks and reds are not so simple to come by in natural dyeing. For these beautiful rich colors we use dried insects. Cochineal bugs are the females of Dactylopious Coccus who can commonly be found in prickly pear cactus in Mexico and , South America and Canary Islands. They come dried and in a high concentration of color. Below is a quick video on how we take our bugs and turn them into an extract that we block print and paint with. Please note these videos are not for instructions on how to make this yourself, but rather information on how we create our natural colors. Enjoy.