Cochineal beetles - Dactylopius coccus - on a prickly pear - Opuntia species - cactus in Gran Canaria. The beetles are removed from the cactus, dried, crushed and used to produce a red - carmine - dye used in food colouring, etc. Gran Canaria is the second most populous of the Canary Islands, a group of seven main islands, and a number of smaller islets, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco. The Canaries are known as autonomous communities of Spain and their economies are based largely on tourism.