Pheidole rheaSpecies Introduction

Large, voracious swarmers with explosive growth Species Introduction Claustral. Single queen, sealed founding chamber, no outside food needed for the first generation. Native to the Southwestern US. Largest Pheidole species in the world with a trimorphic worker caste. Pheidole rhea is one of the few Pheidole species with minor workers, major workers, and super majors. Distinct trimorphic worker caste: minors handle daily tasks while majors and super majors with disproportionate heads help with food-storage, colony defense, and processing food items. These ants are very aggressive and will readily swarm prey items! Extremely fast-growing species that can grow out of control without proper planning (do not underestimate these ants). Capable of reaching tens of thousands of individuals within the first year. Three visible worker castes make them a truly remarkable species of Pheidole. Just keep the protein and seeds flowing, they love it! Formicarium Substrate or hydrostone nests work fine. A clear nest with thin chambers shows off the major/minor caste contrast. The Substratum Sand Ant Nest is recommended for these ants. Be prepared for a nest expansion as these ants grow extremely fast. A secure nest and a fluon barrier for the outworld is recommended due to extremely large colony sizes, and aggressive behavior. Very Warm. We suggest a gradient of 75–92°F across the setup. 1/2" for the extremely large queen. Water & Humidity Humid. Pheidole rhea want a humidity gradient throughout the nest to allow for seed storage in drier chambers. Recommended to use TrapJaw Labs PVA sponges during founding for improved success rates and more nanitics. Keep a liquid feeder with water (distilled, purified, or spring) in the foraging area at all times. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are recommended for Pheidole rhea. Sugar feeder in the outworld 24/7. Occasional small honey drop in the outworld is fine. We recommend providing a liquid feeder with sugar-water or Ant Nectar Mix. Protein Extremely protein-loving. We suggest feeding protein 2–3 times a week. The more frequent the better. TrapJaw Labs feeds our P. rhea colonies with pre-killed D. melanogaster and D. hydei fruit flies as well as pre-killed and cut mealworms. These ants will take most feeder insects. Two to three times per week. Increase amounts to scale with brood development. Seeds This species diet consists of primarily seeds. Seeds will be readily collected and stored within drier portions of their nest. We suggest feeding seeds 1x/week. If workers stop accepting seeds its likely due to granaries being full, when that happens u can slow down how many seeds are being provided. This species prefers small seeds that are easy for them to handle. The TJL Seed Mix is a good place to start if unsure of what kind to offer. Once per week Maintenance Week 1: Dark, warm, gently humid, and undisturbed. No food yet. Weeks 2–4: First workers appear, P. rhea can have quite large first generations sometimes having over 30 nanitics! Start protein 2–3×/week. You may not see majors until the colony is larger. Months 2+: Rapidly growing colony. Majors begin appearing, super majors following suit in the coming months. They'll handle a lot of protein and grow accordingly. Diapause is not required for this species. Care Summary Protein 2–3×/week (more is better) Seeds 1x/week Sugar via feeder 24/7 Moderate humidity Gradient 75–92°F Wait for the majors to arrive Thrice per week: Offer pre-killed protein, clear leftovers within 24h Once per week: Make sure feeder is full Once per week: Provide seeds if granaries run low Every other week: Top up nest water