Pheidole anastasii is a greenhouse ant species found across greenhouses in the world. They are an arboreal species found inside the stems of live plants, such as air plants and cecropia plants.
These ants can survive a wide range of conditions, but need to be kept very hot, as they come from the Central American Rainforest.
Colonies should be kept at above 28 degrees Celsius with humidity levels above 65%.
Wild pictures come from Victor Engel of Pheidole billimeki, a very similar species
| Scientific Name: | Pheidole anastasii |
| Common Name: | Greenhouse Big-headed Ant |
| Taxonomy: | Family: Formicidae | Subfamily: Myrmicinae | Genus: Pheidole | Species: P.anastasii. |
| Care Difficulty: | Pheidole anastasii is a beginner level ant species. |
| Distribution: | Pheidole anastasii is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Here in Canada, there are records of this species in both Manitoba and Quebec. This species has been known to hitchhike on plants and other things making this species able to survive countries like USA and Canada where they would reside in heated structures like greenhouses.. |
| Habitat: | This species lives almost anywhere but they are recorded to be very abundant in wet forest understories throughout Costa Rica. |
| Colony form: | Pheidole anastasii is primarly monogynous. It is not recommeneded to add multiple queens in one colony. |
| Queen: | Queens of this species are around 3.3-3.6mm. |
| Worker: | Workers of this species are around 1.2-1.85mm. |
| Soldier: | Like all Pheidole species, Pheidole anastasii has soldiers. They have recorded to be aroun 2.4-2.8mm. |
| Males: | Males of this species are aroun 2.6mm. |
| Nutrition: | Pheidole anastasii will eat almost anything. They will easily take most carbohydrates without issue, this includes: honey, sugar water, honey water, and sunburst ant nectar. When it comes to proteins, Pheidole anastasii will take almost any protein source most feeder insects such as, fruit flies, crickets, mealworms, superworms, surinam roaches, and discoid roaches. It is generally recommended to feed larger prey items pre-killed because of their small worker sizes. Colonies will most likely have issues taking down large prey items. Pheidole anastasii have been observed to collect seeds and eat them in the wild. It is acceptable to feed them diiferent types of seeds such as dandelion seeds, walnuts, and almonds. It is recommended to break them into small pieces to make it easier for the ants to consume. |
| Air humidity: | Colonies of this species require around 64% humidity. |
| Temperature: | Colonies of this species generally enjoy warmer temperatures. It is recommended to keep this species at around 28C for optimal growth conditions. |
| Hibernation: | Pheidole anastasii does not require hibernation. Colonies will grow all year long. |
| Nesting Habits: | This species has been observed to live in wood and plant stems. They can also be found under rocks and soil. |
| Kind of Formicaria: | Pheidole anastasii will do well in most formicaria. It is recommended to avoid wood nests for this species. Colonies will do well in any Tarheel ants, Por amor, and Buckeye Myrmecology nest. Due to their small size, it is recommended to keep them in a nest with tight fitting glass to prevent escapes. |
| Formicaria size: | Colonies will often stay relatively small maxing out at a few thousand workers. Due to their small size, colonies can be kept in a small formicarium for the majority of their life. |
| Description: | Pheidole anastasii is an amazing beginner species perfect for someone who is looking for an entertaining desk top ant species. Due to their small size, they can be kept in small formicaria making them not take up a lot of space. Colonies will swarm food making it very entertaining to watch as you see large headed soldiers and smaller sized workers consume and break down their food. |
| Offering quantity: | Queen, Queen + 1-5 workers, Queen + 5-10 workers, Queen + 10-25 workers, Queen + 25-50 workers, Queen + 50-100 workers. |
| Weblinks: |
Shipping Conditions
This species comes from more tropical areas than Canada, and are not cold-tolerant. Thus, we will not ship them in the winter
Just a warning, we will NOT ship live ants into the US unless the receiver has a permit. If such an order is made, it will be refunded, minus a 10% processing fee and restocking fee
This product is from Canada Ant Colony. The full catalogue, including all variants, can be found at https://canada-ant-colony.com