It's time to put an end to these myths, misconceptions, and inaccuracies about animals passed down through ... of thousands of tiny insects, called cochineal bugs (or Dactylopius coccus).

Oh, and it's made from squashed bugs. Squashed female cochineal bugs, to be specific. They're tick-sized critters native to Mesoamerica where they suck the juice from prickly pear cactuses.

The extract of cochineal tends to come up a lot. The cochineal bugs—a species of scale insect—are a centuries-old colorant. In the 19th century, chemists figured out how to make a synthetic ...