Welcome to my new journal chronicling the development of my Pheidole pilifera colony! This is a highly sought after species, as they are the only Pheidole found in the northern regions of the United States. In fact, this is the northernmost species that can be found even in states like Minnesota and Massachusetts. This is also a larger species than the more common Pheidole bicarinata. Colonies of P. pilifera are usually small. This species is known to gather and consume seeds in its native habitat, though they relish insects as well. My colony has enjoyed Rudbeckia, Oenothera, chia, and sesame seeds. They also love all standard feeder insects, egg yolks, and cooked chicken from time to time. Like most Pheidole, this species does not strictly require hibernation, so I have chosen to keep mine lightly heated through the winter.
Here is a brief timeline of this colony:
The queen was found along a bike path near the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA. I collected her on July 13, 2024, which was a hot day following rain. I have named her Idiberug, which is the name of an unknown woman inscribed on the oldest rune stone yet found in Norway.
The queen got her first nanitics in mid August.
The first major pupae appeared in mid September. As I've written elsewhere in this forum, the majors of this species are truly awesome.
The colony continued growing rapidly until they filled their test tube. I designed an all-in-one formicarium for them and luckily had it ready when I discovered on 1/17/25 that they had flooded their test tube and drowned many of the workers. Luckily, I could rescue the queen and several hundred workers and brood. I dumped them into the new nest, and they are settled in nicely now. I'm looking forward to see their growth this coming season!
Photos of them in the new nest:
Edited by ANTdrew, Today, 4:55 PM.
