"opuntia" species, known commonly as prickly pears, were first brought to australia in an attempt to start a cochineal dye industry in 1788. captain arthur phillip collected a number of cochineal-infested plants from brazil on his way to establish the first european settlement at botany bay, part of which is now sydney, new south wales. at that time, spain and portugal had a worldwide cochineal dye monopoly via their new world colonial sources, and the british desired a source under their own control, as the dye was important to their clothing and garment industries; it was used to colour the british soldiers' red coats, for example. the attempt was a failure in two ways: the brazilian cochineal insects soon died off, but the cactus thrived, eventually overrunning about of eastern australia. the cacti were eventually brought under control in the 1920s by the deliberate introduction of a south american moth, "cactoblastis cactorum", the larvae of which feed on the cactus.