Kermes is a genus of gall-like scale insects in the family Kermesidae. They feed on the sap of oaks; the females produce a red dye, also called "kermes", that is the source of natural crimson.Naturenet article with images and description of Kermes vermilio and its foodplant The word "kermes" is derived from Turkish qirmiz or kirmizi (قرمز), "crimson" (both the colour and the dyestuff), itself deriving from Persian *کرمست (*kermest) via Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷŕ̥mis (“worm”); it is related to the Persian word for worm kirm.
The first instars are called "crawlers". They are less than long, salmon-colored, and wingless with well-developed legs. As adults, they demonstrate significant sexual dimorphism. Males are gnat-like with fragile wings, while females are bulbous with reduced legs and antennas, and are easily mistaken for buds or galls.
There are some 20 species, including:
Kermes bacciformis Leonardi, 1908 Kermes corticalis (Nassonov, 1908) Kermes echinatus (Balachowsky, 1953) Kermes gibbosus Signoret, 1875 Kermes ilicis (Linnaeus, 1758) Kermes roboris (Fourcroy, 1785) Kermes vermilio Planchon, 1864
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