Red wood ant is a 3-star species card from the Atomic Age. Red wood ants build huge mounds of pine needles in European forests.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +3% offline efficiency |
| Uncommon | 2 | +5.4% offline efficiency |
| Rare | 5 | +9% offline efficiency |
| Epic | 10 | +13.5% offline efficiency |
| Legendary | 20 | +21% offline efficiency |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Formica rufa mounds can be over a metre tall.
- Uncommon: The mounds help keep the nest warm in cool climates.
- Rare: They spray formic acid, and some birds rub ants on their feathers ('anting').
- Epic: A big colony can collect large amounts of insects a day, helping forest health.
- Legendary: They are protected in some European countries.
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Field guide
| Size | Workers about 4.5–9 mm; queens up to about 12 mm |
| Colony | Large nests can hold 100,000 to 400,000 workers |
| Queens | Often many queens; some colonies have just one |
| Nest | Dome mounds of twigs and needles in sunny woodland clearings |
| Diet | Mostly aphid honeydew, plus insects and spiders |
| Defence | Strong jaws and a formic acid spray; fiercely territorial |
| Active | Mostly by day, in the warmer months |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Eurasia, from Britain and Scandinavia to Lake Baikal |
Did you know?
- Several linked nests can form one colony, which spreads by budding off daughter nests.
- Foraging trails can stretch about 100 metres from the nest.
- One colony may collect around a quarter of a tonne of honeydew a year.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, woodlandtrust.org.uk
Codex sets
- Modern ants: Bulldog ant, Amazon ant, Turtle ant, Saharan silver ant, Dracula ant, Red wood ant, Marauder ant, American honeypot ant, Matabele ant, Asian needle ant, Red honey ant, Giant forest ant, Clonal raider ant
Queen affinity
- Black garden ant: ×1 chance
- Meat ant: ×0.5 chance
- Bull ant: ×0.5 chance