Citronella ant is a 1-star species card from the Bronze Age. Citronella ants smell of lemons when crushed.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +5% Materials production |
| Uncommon | 2 | +9% Materials production |
| Rare | 5 | +15% Materials production |
| Epic | 10 | +22.5% Materials production |
| Legendary | 20 | +35% Materials production |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: The citronella ant (Lasius claviger) is yellow-orange.
- Uncommon: It gives off a lemony smell when disturbed.
- Rare: It lives mostly underground.
- Epic: It farms root aphids for honeydew.
- Legendary: Swarms of its winged queens and males sometimes appear in houses.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Workers about 3–4.5 mm; winged queens and males about twice that |
| Colony | Not well known; colonies can be very large and widespread |
| Queens | New queens take over nests of other Lasius ants, killing the resident queen |
| Nest | Underground chambers in well-drained, often sandy or loamy soil |
| Diet | Honeydew from root aphids and mealybugs; also hunts small prey |
| Defence | Releases a citronella scent and swarms intruders; not aggressive to people |
| Active | Mostly underground; mating flights from late summer into autumn |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Eastern USA, from southern New England to Minnesota, Kansas and Florida |
Did you know?
- Winged adults range from light yellow to reddish-brown.
- Swarms sometimes appear in late autumn or early spring near heated buildings.
- Because it lives underground, you often meet it only when the winged adults appear.
Sources: ant-shack.com, antwiki.org, extension.psu.edu