Funnel ant is a 1-star species card from the Stone Age. Funnel ants dig nests with funnel-shaped entrances in sandy soil.
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 funnel ant (Aphaenogaster longiceps) is common in eastern Australia.
- Uncommon: Their funnel-shaped holes can make lawns lumpy, so gardeners notice them.
- Rare: They move a lot of soil, mixing and airing it.
- Epic: Funnel ants mostly forage at night, when you rarely see them.
- Legendary: Their digging helps rain soak into the ground.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Workers about 5–8 mm |
| Colony | About 10,000 workers on average (reported by ant keepers) |
| Queens | One queen per colony |
| Nest | Underground tunnels with a cone-shaped soil entrance, up to about 4 cm wide |
| Diet | Honeydew from root-feeding aphids, plus insects and other small invertebrates |
| Defence | Can sting, but only fights hard if the nest is disturbed |
| Active | Mostly dusk and night; more active after rain, mainly spring to autumn |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Eastern and southern Australia, in lawns, woodland, forest and heath |
Did you know?
- Funnels can pack so tightly that the soil becomes fragile and may collapse underfoot.
- Prey that tumbles into the funnel is carried into the nest as food for the larvae.
- In good conditions there can be more than 20 funnels in a square metre.
Sources: australian.museum, professionalpestmanager.com, antsdavey.co.uk
Codex sets
- First ants: Founding Queen, Funnel ant, Black garden ant, Meat ant, Coastal brown ant, Honeypot ant, Green-head ant, Jack jumper ant, Yellow meadow ant, Little black ant, Thief ant
Queen affinity
- Black garden ant: ×1.1 chance
- Meat ant: ×1.1 chance
- Bull ant: ×1.1 chance