Pheidole is so hard to keep!

[JaydenScheepers]

I have four Pheidole parva queens together in a test tube stup, and I check up on them the least of my colonies, yet I have a big problem trying to get them to start a colony. They ate their eggs again, and I don't know how long this can continue until they run out of wing muscle. I don't know what to do.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

I have four Pheidole parva queens together in a test tube stup, and I check up on them the least of my colonies, yet I have a big problem trying to get them to start a colony. They ate their eggs again, and I don't know how long this can continue until they run out of wing muscle. I don't know what to do.

If they eat their eggs yet again, feed them nectar and no checks for 2 weeks. No checks, like at all. No disturbances, no red light checks, etc.

[JaydenScheepers]

I have four Pheidole parva queens together in a test tube stup, and I check up on them the least of my colonies, yet I have a big problem trying to get them to start a colony. They ate their eggs again, and I don't know how long this can continue until they run out of wing muscle. I don't know what to do.

If they eat their eggs yet again, feed them nectar and no checks for 2 weeks. No checks, like at all. No disturbances, no red light checks, etc.

Alright

[SYUTEO]

I read from another antkeeper that P. parva cannot start a colony with more than 2 queens, they are actually pleometrotic. Even if you manage to get them to found, they will slowly kill queens as the colony grows until there is only one queen left.

[JaydenScheepers]

I read from another antkeeper that P. parva cannot start a colony with more than 2 queens, they are actually pleometrotic. Even if you manage to get them to found, they will slowly kill queens as the colony grows until there is only one queen left.

So my best choice is to try and separate them?

[SYUTEO]

I read from another antkeeper that P. parva cannot start a colony with more than 2 queens, they are actually pleometrotic. Even if you manage to get them to found, they will slowly kill queens as the colony grows until there is only one queen left.

So my best choice is to try and separate them?

You can try

[JaydenScheepers]

I read from another antkeeper that P. parva cannot start a colony with more than 2 queens, they are actually pleometrotic. Even if you manage to get them to found, they will slowly kill queens as the colony grows until there is only one queen left.

So my best choice is to try and separate them?

You can try

Alright by the sound of it I'll have to separate them, hopefully it doesn't cause them much stress.

[Antloverhuman]

Mine founded successfully when i had them separated

[JaydenScheepers]

Mine founded successfully when i had them separated

I separated mine, hopefully it will work. I would love to keep Pheidole, luckily though there is a big colony in my backyard. So if this doesn't work I can wait till next year, and maybe catch another alate. I find the invading Pheidole to be quiet passive. When we had a Solinopsis invasion in a previous home, they were so aggressive, is Pheidole in general passive to humans? I even had workers walk on my wands, Solinopsis would surely have attacked my hand.

[SYUTEO]

Mine founded successfully when i had them separated

I separated mine, hopefully it will work. I would love to keep Pheidole, luckily though there is a big colony in my backyard. So if this doesn't work I can wait till next year, and maybe catch another alate. I find the invading Pheidole to be quiet passive. When we had a Solinopsis invasion in a previous home, they were so aggressive, is Pheidole in general passive to humans? I even had workers walk on my wands, Solinopsis would surely have attacked my hand.

Pheidole parva usually isn't very aggressive towards people but they are towards other insects (unless you attack their nest). Pheidole megacephala on the other hand, are like Carebara.