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Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) |
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Care in Handling Prickly Pear Cacti
Obviously, cactus plants should be handled with care. Opuntia spp. produce two kinds of spines, the regular large sharp spines and much smaller glochids, which have a velvety appearance. The glochids can enter your skin without your experiencing pain, but will become evident when you rub your fingers together. They are seen with a hand lens and can be difficult to remove. Wearing gloves only causes the gloves to be contaminated with glochids. The proper way to handle prickly pear pads is with tongs and a large knife or machete.
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Using a knife in conjunction with tongs to handle prickly pear pads prevents injury from spines and the small glochid spines. |
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Spines and smaller glochids on areoles of Opuntia ficus-indica (l) and O. phaeacantha(r). From Benson, 1982 |
Last Modified: January 31, 2007
