Pheidole pallidula

Species at a glance

• Origin: the Mediterranean, from the Iberian Peninsula across southern Europe to North Africa
• Size: queen 6–8 mm; workers 2–4 mm, majors with large square heads
• Colony: up to 10,000 ants; may have several queens
• Difficulty: suitable for beginners

Care conditions

• Temperature: 22–28 °C
• Humidity: 50–70%
• Food: small insects 2–3 times a week, sugars (diluted honey, syrup) and optionally a few small seeds, which the big-headed majors crack

Hibernation

Needed: 3–4 months at about 15 °C from late autumn to early spring; never let it get close to freezing.

Farm and colony growth

The queen founds the colony alone and needs no food until the first workers appear; a young colony lives in a test tube until it gets crowded. Small workers squeeze through the tiniest gaps: use a tight lid, fine mesh on the vents and an anti-escape barrier.