Adult females are sessile and form colonies of up to a few thousand individuals of mixed age, creating conspicuous clusters of white wax all over the plant.

Adult females of Dactylopius opuntiae produce red glucosidal hydroxyanthrapurin (carminic acid), which occurs naturally within their body.

Large, truncate, and rounded setae longer than the width at the base and numerous narrow ventral pores on the last three body segments distinguish Dactylopius opuntiae from all its congeners.

The optimal temperature for development is 30 °C, but males cannot emerge from the cocoon or adult females lay eggs at 35 °C, while crawlers' survival is negatively affected.

After a period of active dispersal, the crawlers settle down on the cladodes, often near the mother, and colonies are established at the joints of the cladode-trunk, flower-cladode, or fruit-cladode.

[1] Dactylopius opuntiae is native to Mexico and neighboring countries in Central America but has been introduced to several other areas, including Australia, Algeria, Morocco, Israel, France, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United States (California and Texas).

However, dense populations of prickly pear still exist in cold and rainy areas, which are less favorable to the development of Dactylopius opuntiae.

The dispersal capability of Dactylopius opuntiae away from the first areas of inoculum was assessed to promote a quicker spread of the scale insect.

[1] Dactylopius opuntiae can also have a strong negative impact on both the production of prickly pear fruit for fresh consumption and on cladodes as fodder for livestock feed.

[1] In northeastern Brazil, Dactylopius opuntiae was imported from Mexico to produce dye, but it has caused significant damage to forage cactus production.

In other Brazilian states such as Pernambuco, Paraíba, and Ceará, Dactylopius opuntiae infested over 100,000 hectares, resulting in more than US$100 million in annual damage, with serious socioeconomic consequences for farming communities where milk production is linked to prickly pear cultivation.

The thickness of the cactus plant's cuticle and epidermis, as well as the presence of calcium oxalate, play a crucial role in resistance to the pest.

By 2014, the species was found to be widespread in the south of the country and causing severe damage to the cactus plants, whose fruit is an important source of income for local farmers.

Although the predator beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri was found in association with the Dactylopius opuntiae colonies, their numbers were not high enough to control the pest population.