Pheidole Bicarinata Queen Ant, Live with Workers
Species: Pheidole Bicarinata aka Common Big-Headed Ants
Easiness: Easy
This is a Live Queen and workers to start a brand-new colony with.
General: Pheidole Bicarinata are tiny ants with a wide range of color. Colonies eat just about anything and grow very quickly if heated and fed frequently. Major workers have large heads used to crack seeds and tear through insect parts.
Diet: Diet is extremely generalist for these ants. They will go crazy for forms of liquid sugars, but also accept a variety of seeds, including Kentucky bluegrass, dandelion, and evening primrose (evening primrose is a favorite). They will eat just about any protein they can get, including crickets, fruit flies, mealworms, dubia roaches, and even table scraps. Accepted seed list: Evening Primrose, Sand Lovegrass, Chia, Dandelion, Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Dropseed
The most recommended diet for these ants is as below: Two types (at least) of seeds for carbohydrates: Sand Lovegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass
Any insect protein: Crickets, Mealworms, Fruit Flies, or Roaches.
Make sure they have a constant pile of seeds in their nest. Make sure they are fed as much protein as they will take, every day or two days. Don't allow old food to build up, as it may cause mold.
Temperature: Colonies need a heat source to stay healthy and grow effectively. ~82 degrees should be best, and you can provide a heating gradient as you see necessary. Pheidole bicarinata love heat, but make sure not to cook them! Allow a cooler portion of the nest.
Diapause: Pheidole bicarinata should not be hibernated. They can keep growing year round if provided heat and food. If you need a break or want them to grow slower, you could remove the heat or cool them down slightly. Never put them in an area lower than 50 degrees fahrenheit.
Growth: Brood development takes around 4-6 weeks, 4-5 weeks being typical. Colonies grow very quickly, possibly reaching the hundreds or thousands within the 1st and 2nd years if fed and heated properly. Colonies rarely exceed 4000 workers.
Queen size: 4.5-6mm
Worker size: 1.5-3mm
Major size: 2.5-3.5mm
Ant Keeping
- Always keep the nest hydrated when starting a colony.
- Never place your ant farm in/under/near any direct light.
- Item may contain glass, acrylic, ceramic or other fragile material. Please remember to be careful when opening & unwrapping your package.
- Item may have sharp and/ or pointy edges and be fragile, please be careful when handling it.
- Not for children to play with or use without adult supervision.Live Insect Shipping
We ship all live insects using USPS Priority Mail. We only ship on Mondays and Tuesdays, if there is a holiday on those days then we wait till the next week.
You are responsible for watching tracking and making sure the ants do not sit in extreme temperatures. We guarantee live arrival unless you leave the ant in your hot mailbox for hours.
If you have a problem with the ants, please reach out to us within 2 hours of delivery for live guaranteed refund. For other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Return Policy
We have the right to deny and/or refuse services and refunds to anyone and everyone. We are very reasonable and work out every problem the best we can for the better of us both as buyer and seller.
Return Window is up to 14 days after delivery date shown on the tracking status. You must contact us with reason of return.
Shipment Damage: Please kindly understand that once it is shipped out and is in the shipping carrier's system. Purchasing this item means that you agree that I am not responsible for your package being lost, delayed or damaged during transit. We will still work with you to find a solution for the issues, but ultimately, we are not responsible.
Return Shipping: Buyers are responsible for return shipping cost. Please notify us of all reasons for the return.