The literature on dyeing with natural dyes, specifically the most common red dyes of insect origin, was studied. The dyes have been extracted from cochineal, kermes, Polish cochineal, Ararat cochineal, and lac. Chemical literature on these dyes was also examined, as well as entomological literature on the relevant insects. <i>Kermes vermilio</i> was collected in southern France and eastern Spain in order to experiment with this dye. This dye was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. For each genus of insect studied, information is provided on entomology, history, etymology, chemistry, and dyeing.