Pheidole rhea is the biggest Pheidole species in the world with their queens ranging from 16-18mm, workers 3.5-4.5mm, majors 8-9mm, and super majors being 12-13mm. They are a very fast growing species and can reach tens of thousands within a year.
I obtained my colony early July 2022 with a queen, 5 brood boosted workers, and a decent brood pile.
Colony a week after i got them:
As you can see the colony had a very healthy batch of eggs. At this stage they didn't really eat a lot but they were definitely growing and without having a major they were already accepting seeds.
About a month later the colony had about 15-20 workers but had a very healthy brood pile.
Colony about 40 days after i got them:
This is when they started to really pick up the pace, as you can see that's a very good amount of brood and they have a major larvae coming along too.
A month later the colony is at around 60 workers and a decent amount of majors and yet again, lots and lots of brood.
Pheidole rhea doing rhea things.
Now this is when things get crazy, I will let the picture explain.
This is them now. They went from 60 to over 500 in a little over a month. They have definitely met my expectations and i am sure they will grow much more throughout the year.
They have 100% become my favorite species I have every kept and have been a joy to keep.
Edited by SHmealer, October 31 2022 - 5:47 PM.
