Pharaoh ant is a 2-star species card from the Steam Age. Pharaoh ants are tiny house pests that spread by 'budding'.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +5% population cap |
| Uncommon | 2 | +9% population cap |
| Rare | 5 | +15% population cap |
| Epic | 10 | +22.5% population cap |
| Legendary | 20 | +35% population cap |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Monomorium pharaonis workers are only about 2 mm long.
- Uncommon: New colonies form when queens and workers walk off to a new spot: budding.
- Rare: They love warm buildings, including hospitals.
- Epic: They were once thought to come from Egypt, hence the name, but probably came from Africa or Asia.
- Legendary: Sprays can make them split into more colonies, so baits work better.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Workers about 2.2–2.4 mm long |
| Colony | Indoor colonies can reach up to about 300,000 workers |
| Queens | Many queens per colony |
| Nest | Warm, humid hidden spots like wall gaps, behind skirting boards and in folded linen |
| Diet | Sweets, fats, proteins and other insects; will gnaw into food packaging |
| Defence | Workers have a stinger but rarely use it |
| Active | All year inside heated buildings; outdoors only in warm climates |
| Lifespan | Queens about 4–12 months; workers up to about 10 weeks |
| Where it lives | Worldwide in heated buildings; outdoors mainly in warm climates |
Did you know?
- Eggs to adults takes only about 38 days, so colonies can rebuild quickly.
- Mating happens inside the nest, so you never see a pharaoh ant mating swarm.
- Workers follow set trails along benches and pipes, and can move between rooms along wires.
Sources: ipm.ucanr.edu, pmanz.nz, orkin.com, antwiki.org
Codex sets
- Ants of the machine ages: Bullet ant, Argentine ant, Pharaoh ant, Yellow crazy ant, Odorous house ant, Ghost ant, Mangrove ant, Spider ant, European fire ant, Red harvester ant, Longhorn crazy ant, Little fire ant, Exploding ant, Acacia ant, Azteca ant, Indian jumping ant
Queen affinity
- Black garden ant: ×1 chance
- Meat ant: ×0.6 chance
- Bull ant: ×0.6 chance