Question: what are the white spots on my prickly pear cactus?
Answer: He writes, "When you see that your prickly pear and cholla cactus have white sticky mounds covering them, it means you have a cochineal (mealybug) problem. This is not a disease; it is actually an insect infestation. The white sticky mounds are the housing for cochineal bugs (also known as mealybugs).