Fungal infection?

[Renee_H]

Since she eats this can I just remove the affected pads or do I have to tear the whole thing down and start over?

 

[Tom]

Since she eats this can I just remove the affected pads or do I have to tear the whole thing down and start over?
View attachment 399845

The cochineal bugs finally found you and your cactus! It's not fungus. That is a "web-like" fuzzy coating that the insects spin over themselves for protection. Be careful of little spines, but smoosh one and you'll see it's filled with purple "ink". Indians used to use this to color themselves and their horses. That ink will stain your fingers or clothes.

I researched for years how to get rid of them. Nothing people suggested seemed workable to me. Cactus have very shallow roots so that they can suck up every bit of water from the slightest rain on the surface. Alcohol, or dish soap, or flea spray, or anything else might not hurt the cactus pads, but it will certainly be absorbed and then fed to your tortoise.

With that in mind, here is what works for me: Hose them off once a week. Works best with a nozzle that has a "jet" setting. You literally just squirt them off of your cactus periodically. They will always come back, but they are harmless to your tortoise. I feed pads with those to my torts all the time. The hosing off also gives your cactus much needed water during the hot summer months. This bug goes dormant in winter when your cactus don't need watering, and is most active when your cactus needs the most water, so it actually works out just fine. These bugs always show up sooner or later, but they are totally harmless in small numbers. If left to multiply undisturbed for months, they can reach epidemic proportions and do harm to your cactus stand. For just a few of them on one stand, you can just wipe them away with your finger or a towel.

Now keep an eye out for the other cactus bugs, the Coreids. These are actually bugs that crawl on your pads and suck the juice out of them. Their nymphs make web-like structures on your tender young cactus pads. Smash these bug on sight with your fingers. They are fairly slow and just let you smash them. Like a stink bug, they have a smelly defense mechanism, but their smell is actually sweet and sort of fruity smelling. I actually find it pleasant to sniff rather than off-putting, but I'll bet insectivores wouldn't like it in their mouths. Often the first sign of these ones is the leftover pale sucker marks on your cactus pads as seen in this picture:

 

[Renee_H]

Thank you Tom! I had almost convinced myself I had to remove the entire stand and felt sick over it.