Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Pheidole pilifera
My current colony of Pheidole pilifera testing the limits of the macro feature on my camera. Here they're collecting sugar water. (Liquids are hazardous to creatures their size so it's important to feed liquids absorbed into something.) A lot of people are put off by their size but others love the fact they have a major caste. The big headed ants (also the common name) are a caste of ant normally used to store food and crush seeds. While I'm not confident enough to feed these ants seeds, I'm more than happy to give them sugar water. Seeds that aren't crushed usually start to grow.