Story events

Story events are moments in the colony's life, each with an effect. Rarer ones are more dramatic.

Event	Area	Season	Rarity	Effect
Nuptial flight day: winged queens and males leave the nest	Any	Spring	Rare	Royal Jelly as new colonies are founded
The queen lays a record clutch	Any	Any	Common	+15% population growth for 2 hours
Nurses move the brood pile somewhere warmer	Any	Any	Common	+10% growth for 1 hour
A gamergate worker starts laying eggs	Any	Any	Rare	Accept (+growth, −5% queen class bonus for a day) or stop her
The "lazy" reserve workers wake up	Any	Any	Common	+5% all production for 1 hour
Undertaker ants clear the refuse pile	Any	Any	Common	No disease events for 1 day
A trophallaxis feast: everyone shares food mouth to mouth	Any	Any	Common	Food upkeep −20% for 2 hours
Grooming day	Any	Any	Common	Disease and mite events weaker for 1 day
A fungal infection appears in one chamber	Any	Any	Common	Quarantine (lose 3% Food) or ignore (50% chance of −10% growth for 4 hours)
A worker turns into a zombie ant (Cordyceps)	Any	Any	Rare	Carry it away (safe) or study it (Codex page, small risk)
Mites hitch a ride on returning foragers	Any	Any	Common	Tap to groom; missed: −5% production for 1 hour
An ant mill: a group follows each other's trail in an endless circle	Any	Any	Rare	Break the circle; missed: Gathering returns 20% less for 1 hour
A tandem-running lesson: one ant leads another to food	Any	Any	Common	Explorers 15% faster for 2 hours
A scout finds a huge food source	Any	Any	Common	+Food (30 minutes of output)
A batch of major workers hatches	Any	Any	Common	+10% combat damage for 2 hours
The queen's pheromones surge	Any	Any	Common	+5% everything for 1 hour
Many pupae hatch at once	Any	Any	Common	+Population (20 minutes of births)
Repletes are overfilled	Any	Any	Common	+10% Food cap for 4 hours
Rival scouts spotted at the trail	Any	Any	Common	Chase them off; missed: lose 3% Food
The nest is overcrowded	Any	Any	Common	Dig new chambers (Materials) or found a satellite nest (Population)
An old forager's last trip brings back a treasure	Any	Any	Common	Small Food and one random item
A lost worker returns with news of the land beyond	Any	Any	Common	Reveals 1 Exploration tile
A super-major hatches	Any	Any	Rare	Tap to crown it: +25% damage for the next boss wave
A second queen asks to join the colony	Any	Any	Rare	Accept (+growth, a new species card chance) or drive her out
Aphids produce extra honeydew	Any	Any	Common	+20% Aphid herd output for 2 hours
The aphid herd wanders off	Any	Any	Common	Round them up; missed: Aphid herd paused for 1 hour
Workers adopt a herd of scale insects	Any	Any	Rare	+Food over 1 day
Seeds sprout in the granary	Any	Any	Common	Eat them now (+Food) or let them grow (+more Food over 4 hours)
The fungus garden blooms	Any	Any	Common	+15% Food for 2 hours
Fungus garden blight	Any	Any	Common	Weed it out (lose 5% Food) or wait (production −10% for 2 hours)
Heatwave inside the nest	Any	Any	Common	Move brood deeper (−10% production for 1 hour) or fan with workers (Food cost)
A cold snap	Any	Any	Common	−10% growth for 2 hours; +5% offline efficiency for the night
Workers build a living bridge across a gap	Any	Any	Common	Exploration 20% cheaper for 2 hours
A raft drill: the colony practises floating together	Any	Any	Rare	Flood events halved for 7 days
A stridulation chorus: ants squeak to each other	Any	Any	Common	+5% morale (combat) for 1 hour
Workers take hundreds of micro-naps	Any	Any	Common	+10% offline efficiency for the next absence
At dusk, a few workers seal the entrance from outside	Any	Any	Rare	No raids overnight; Codex page on self-sacrifice
An ant cricket sneaks in and steals food	Any	Any	Common	Catch it; missed: lose 3% Food
A rove beetle pretends to be a nestmate	Any	Any	Common	Tolerate it (cleans the nest: +disease resistance) or evict it
A caterpillar's sweet smell tricks the nurses	Any	Any	Rare	Take it in (Food from it, slow brood loss) or refuse; Codex page
A lost queen of another species arrives	Any	Any	Rare	Adopt (+Population, species card chance) or turn her away
A pollen windfall	Any	Any	Common	+Food
Morning dew droplets on every surface	Any	Any	Common	Foragers +10% for 1 hour (mornings only)
A friendly colony sends a gift	Any	Any	Rare	+Royal Jelly (small)
The colony's anniversary	Any	Any	Rare	+10% everything for 1 day and a story card
A worker "discovers" a fact	Any	Any	Common	A free Codex page
An explorer miscounts her steps and gets lost	Any	Any	Common	−1 explorer; she returns next day with a found item
Twin larvae grow into giants	Any	Any	Rare	+1 card duplicate (random caste card)
Workers redecorate the nest	Any	Any	Common	Cosmetic change for a day; +5% morale
A drought of food sources nearby	Any	Any	Common	Send explorers further (ants) or ration (−10% growth for 2 hours)
The child taps on the glass	Bedroom	Any	Common	Calm the colony; missed: −10% production for 30 min
A whole biscuit drops in	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food (1 hour of output)
The child forgets to feed the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	−10% growth for 4 hours
A birthday party next door is loud	Bedroom	Any	Common	−5% production for 1 hour
Leftover birthday cake	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Food (3 hours of output)
Sleepover friends peer in with torches	Bedroom	Any	Common	Put on a show (+Royal Jelly, −5% Food) or hide
A torch shone in at night	Bedroom	Any	Common	Shield the brood; missed: −10% growth for 1 hour
A glow-in-the-dark sticker on the glass	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Night foraging +15% for 3 nights
School holidays: the child is home all day	Bedroom	Any	Common	+10% Food for 3 days
Show-and-tell day: the farm goes to school	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Perform (+Royal Jelly, travel stress −5% for a day) or stay calm
Cordial spilled near the lid	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food; −5% Materials for 1 hour (sticky)
A Lego avalanche hits the desk	Bedroom	Any	Common	Clear the blocks; missed: one building blocked for 1 hour
The cat stares at the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	−5% production for 1 hour
The cat knocks over the pencil cup	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials (pencil shavings)
The dog barks at a delivery	Bedroom	Any	Common	−3% production for 30 min
A goldfish bowl moves onto the desk	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Fishing +2 casts today
The family hamster escapes	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Hide deep (−10% production 1 hour) or defend (soldiers at risk, +combat XP)
The window is opened for fresh air	Bedroom	Any	Common	+10% growth for 2 hours
A fly gets into the room	Bedroom	Any	Common	Catch it: +Food
A moth circles the desk lamp	Bedroom	Any	Common	Catch it: +Food
The desk lamp is left on all night	Bedroom	Any	Common	+10% growth; Bronze forge +20% overnight
A power blackout	Bedroom	Any	Common	Steam buildings paused 1 hour
A glue stick is left uncapped	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials; one trail slowed for 1 hour
A pile of pencil shavings	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials
Eraser crumbs everywhere	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials
A glitter accident	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Materials and a sparkly cosmetic for a day
The farm wins a ribbon at the school science fair	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Royal Jelly
Mum vacuums the bedroom	Bedroom	Any	Common	Evacuate outposts (production −10% for 1 hour) or risk it (lose 5% Materials)
Room-cleaning day	Bedroom	Any	Common	Hide stores (−5% production) or risk losing 10% Food
A toy dinosaur is placed on the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	Codex: ants lived alongside dinosaurs; +5% morale
The child names one of the ants	Bedroom	Any	Rare	A hero ant appears: +5% to her job for 7 days
The child reads an ant book aloud	Bedroom	Any	Common	A free Codex page
A phone game's sounds next to the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	−3% production for 30 min
Rain on the window	Bedroom	Any	Common	+5% growth (cosy) for 2 hours
A thunderstorm rattles the house	Bedroom	Any	Common	−10% production for 30 min
The heater comes on for winter	Bedroom	Winter	Common	+10% growth for 1 day
The air conditioner runs all day	Bedroom	Summer	Common	−5% growth for 1 day
A spider builds a web in the corner of the lid	Bedroom	Any	Common	Cut the web; missed: −5% Food trail for 1 hour
Silverfish raid from the bookshelf	Bedroom	Any	Common	Defend; missed: lose 3% Food
A cockroach under the bed	Bedroom	Any	Common	Drive it off; won: +Food
A sock left beside the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials (fluff) and a temporary outpost
A pizza crust under the bed	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Food (4 hours of output)
A lolly is dropped	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food; +10% forager speed for 1 hour (sugar rush)
An apple core in the bin	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food
A banana peel	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food
A juice-box straw falls onto the desk	Bedroom	Any	Common	A bridge: Exploration 20% cheaper for 1 hour
A paperclip chain	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials
Loose staples	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials (metal)
A coin rolls under the desk	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Materials (metal); +Royal Jelly (tiny)
A marble rolls into a tunnel	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Keep it as a boulder trap (+defence) or roll it out (+Materials)
A page torn from an old encyclopaedia	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+20% research speed for 2 hours
A nightlight is plugged in	Bedroom	Any	Common	Night production +5% for 7 nights
Loud music through headphones	Bedroom	Any	Common	−5% production for 1 hour
The teenager posts a video of the colony	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+Royal Jelly ("followers")
A friend offers to add more ants	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Accept (a rival queen: war waves for a day, then her species card) or refuse
The teenager forgets to close the lid	Bedroom	Any	Common	Scouts explore 1 free tile
Charger warmth under the farm	Bedroom	Any	Common	+10% Steam power for 2 hours
An energy drink spills	Bedroom	Any	Rare	+20% speed for 1 hour, then −10% for 1 hour
Exam week: no attention for days	Bedroom	Any	Common	−10% Food for 2 days
Renewed interest in the colony	Bedroom	Any	Common	+10% Food for 2 days
The bedroom is repainted	Bedroom	Any	Rare	Evacuate the fumes (−15% production for 2 hours) or seal the nest (−5% growth for a day)
The fly screen tears: wasps get in	Bedroom	Any	Common	Fight; missed: lose 5% Food
A daddy-long-legs web across the farm lid	Bedroom	Any	Common	Clear it; missed: one building blocked 1 hour
Mould on an old cup	Bedroom	Any	Common	Farm the mould (+Food over time, disease risk) or avoid it
Chips spilled at a teen party	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food
A pillow fight dust storm	Bedroom	Any	Common	−5% production for 30 min
Cereal spilled on the desk	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food
Christmas tree needles fall	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Materials
Easter egg foil and chocolate	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food and Materials
A Halloween lolly stash	Bedroom	Any	Common	+Food (big)
A sausage falls off the barbecue	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food (2 hours of output)
A picnic blanket is spread on the lawn	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food over 1 hour
The sprinkler floods the entrance	Backyard	Any	Common	Raft up (lose 3% Materials) or seal (−10% production 1 hour)
Lawn-mowing day	Backyard	Any	Common	Evacuate surface outposts or risk losing 5% Food
A leaf blower scatters the trail	Backyard	Any	Common	−10% Gathering for 1 hour
The compost is turned	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
Tomatoes split in the vegie patch	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
Fruit falls from the backyard tree	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
Kids run through the yard	Backyard	Any	Common	−5% production for 30 min
The dog digs near the nest	Backyard	Any	Common	Defend (soldiers at risk) or dig deeper (−10% production 1 hour)
Food left in the dog's bowl	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
The cat hunts a skink near the nest	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food (scraps)
A magpie swoops the trail	Backyard	Any	Common	Take cover; missed: lose 2% Population
A kookaburra perches on the fence	Backyard	Any	Common	Enemy waves −10% HP today (it eats bugs)
A blue-tongue lizard wanders through	Backyard	Any	Common	Hide (−5% production) or let it pass (it eats some enemy insects: next wave easier)
An echidna arrives: it eats ants	Backyard	Any	Rare	Dive deep (−20% production 2 hours) or defend (soldiers at risk, a Rare card on success)
A possum on the fence at night	Backyard	Any	Common	Night events +1 today
Bin night: a bag splits	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
The garbage truck spills	Backyard	Any	Rare	+Food and Materials (big)
Recycling day: cans everywhere	Backyard	Any	Common	+Materials
The neighbour puts out ant bait	Backyard	Any	Common	Avoid that side (−5% Gathering for 1 day) or test it (risk 3% Population, Codex page)
Surface spray on the path	Backyard	Any	Common	Reroute trails (−10% Food 2 hours) or push through (lose 3% Population)
An exterminator's van parks out front	Backyard	Any	Rare	Go quiet (−50% production 1 hour) or keep working (risk 5% Population)
A rainstorm	Backyard	Any	Common	+10% growth; −10% Gathering for 2 hours
A drought	Backyard	Any	Common	Send explorers for water sources (ants) or ration (−10% growth for 1 day)
A heatwave	Backyard	Summer	Common	−15% production for 4 hours; heat-proof cards ignore it
Hail	Backyard	Any	Rare	−10% Materials (outposts damaged)
Bushfire smoke haze	Backyard	Summer	Rare	−10% production for 1 day; Codex page on fire recovery
Flying ant day: queens from every colony take off	Backyard	Spring	Rare	Catch queens: +Royal Jelly per catch
The birdbath is refilled	Backyard	Any	Common	Fishing +2 casts today
The pool cleaner runs near the nest	Backyard	Any	Rare	Move the trail (−5% for 1 hour) or wait (risk Food)
A hose left running	Backyard	Any	Common	Flood risk tomorrow +; Fishing +1 cast
A garden gnome is moved onto the mound	Backyard	Any	Rare	A new outpost spot
Kids build a sandcastle	Backyard	Any	Common	+Materials (sand); Exploration +1 tile
A cricket ball lands on the mound	Backyard	Any	Common	−5% Materials (repairs)
A footy is kicked into the garden bed	Backyard	Any	Common	−3% production for 30 min
Drips from the washing line	Backyard	Any	Common	+5% growth for 1 hour
An oil drip under the car	Backyard	Any	Common	+10% power for 2 hours
Crumbs from a car being cleaned out	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food
The ice-cream truck plays down the street	Backyard	Summer	Rare	+Food (melted drips)
A street party	Backyard	Any	Rare	+Food (big); −5% production (noise)
Roadworks shake the ground	Backyard	Any	Common	−10% production for 2 hours
A concrete slab is poured over the edge of the nest	Backyard	Any	Rare	Evacuate those tunnels (lose 5% Materials) or dig under (Materials cost, keep production)
A new garden bed is built	Backyard	Any	Common	Exploration +2 tiles
The fence is repaired	Backyard	Any	Common	Outposts on the fence line paused 1 hour
Solar panels go on the roof	Backyard	Any	Rare	+10% power for 7 days
The wifi router is upgraded	Backyard	Any	Rare	+10% Data Hive output for 7 days
A drone flies over the yard	Backyard	Any	Common	Hide; missed: −5% production for 1 hour
A robot lawnmower appears	Backyard	Any	Rare	Map its route (research cost) or avoid the lawn (−5% Gathering)
A smart sprinkler schedule is set	Backyard	Any	Common	Flood events predictable: shown 1 hour ahead for 7 days
A school class visits the colony	Backyard	Any	Rare	+2 free Codex pages
The entomologist samples workers	Backyard	Any	Common	Offer workers (−2% Population, +research) or hide
A museum asks for a specimen	Backyard	Any	Rare	Send a worker (+Royal Jelly, −1 ant) or decline
A news story about the clever colony	Backyard	Any	Rare	+Royal Jelly
A hacker colony jams the pheromone network	Backyard	Any	Common	Restore it; missed: Data Hive paused 1 hour
A border clash with a rival supercolony	Backyard	Any	Common	Fight (combat wave) or cede a tile
An allied colony asks for help against wasps	Backyard	Any	Common	Send soldiers (risk ants, +Royal Jelly) or send Food
A termite mound discovered nearby	Backyard	Any	Rare	Raid it (combat, +Materials) or trade (Food for Materials)
A bee swarm hangs in the tree	Backyard	Any	Rare	+Food (honey drips) for 1 day
A European wasp nest found	Backyard	Any	Common	Attack it (boss fight) or avoid that area for a day
A redback spider under the barbecue	Backyard	Any	Common	Avoid; missed: lose 2% Population
A huntsman spider on the wall	Backyard	Any	Common	Night pests −20% today (it hunts them)
Cicadas emerge	Backyard	Summer	Common	+Food (big) for 1 day
A Christmas beetle swarm	Backyard	Any	Common	+Food; Codex page
Bogong moths pass through on migration	Backyard	Spring	Rare	+Food; Codex page on migration
Autumn leaves pile up	Backyard	Autumn	Common	+Materials
A frosty morning	Backyard	Winter	Common	−10% production until noon
A possum raids the compost	Backyard	Any	Common	−5% Food from compost for 1 day
A rainbow after the storm	Backyard	Any	Rare	+5% everything for 2 hours
A power outage across the suburb	Backyard	Any	Common	Data buildings paused 1 hour
A solar flare erupts	Space	Any	Common	Raise shields (Materials) or ride it out (−20% production 1 hour)
A meteor shower	Space	Any	Common	+Materials
A micrometeoroid pierces the hive	Space	Any	Common	Patch it; missed: lose 5% Materials
Brood floats away in zero-G	Space	Any	Common	Catch them; missed: −10% growth for 1 hour
An old recording of the 2014 ISS ants	Space	Any	Rare	A free Codex page and +5% morale
A cosmic-ray mutation	Space	Any	Rare	Keep it (random strong buff for a day, small risk) or repair it
A comet passes close by	Space	Any	Rare	Fishing +3 casts (comet-tail fishing)
A rich asteroid vein is found	Space	Any	Common	+Materials (big)
An asteroid near-miss	Space	Any	Common	Dodge; missed: −10% production for 1 hour
A Martian dust storm	Space	Any	Common	Mars outposts −20% for 4 hours
The Moon low-gravity festival	Space	Any	Rare	+10% morale and Exploration for 1 day
Space pirates raid a supply line	Space	Any	Common	Fight (combat) or pay them off (Food)
First contact with an alien colony	Space	Any	Legendary	Befriend (ally, alien species card) or keep away
An alien trade offer	Space	Any	Common	Trade Food for Royal Jelly, or decline
Salvage from a lost satellite	Space	Any	Common	+Materials
An old Earth radio broadcast	Space	Any	Rare	A story fragment about the Colonizer
A message from the Colonizer	Space	Any	Rare	+10% everything for 1 day; story beat
A hull breach in the orbital hive	Space	Any	Common	Seal it; missed: lose 5% Food
The oxygen garden blooms	Space	Any	Common	+Food
Hydroponic fungus spreads	Space	Any	Common	Prune (lose 5% Food) or wait (−10% Food for 2 hours)
Tardigrades hitch a ride	Space	Any	Rare	Water bear card duplicate
An eclipse	Space	Any	Common	Solar output −50% for 30 min; night events +1
Auroras over a gas giant	Space	Any	Rare	+5% morale for 1 day
Gravitational lensing reveals a hidden planet	Space	Any	Legendary	A new Exploration region
A pulsar's rhythm syncs the hive	Space	Any	Rare	+10% production for 2 hours
An ice moon with an ocean underneath	Space	Any	Rare	A new Fishing spot unlocked
A Venus heat storm	Space	Any	Common	Venus outposts paused 2 hours
Jupiter's radiation belts flare	Space	Any	Common	Combat waves +10% harder today
Harvesting Saturn's rings	Space	Any	Common	+Materials (ice)
A hive-ship launch party	Space	Any	Common	+5% everything for 1 hour
A navigation error	Space	Any	Common	Exploration costs +10% for 1 hour
Terraforming takes hold	Space	Any	Rare	+10% Food on that planet for 7 days
Terraforming fails	Space	Any	Common	Lose 5% Materials on that planet
A human space station visits	Space	Any	Rare	Hide or greet (+Royal Jelly, story beat)
A robot probe is mistaken for a queen	Space	Any	Common	Funny cutscene; +5% morale
A time-dilation glitch	Space	Any	Rare	Next offline period counts 25% longer
A Dyson panel drifts out of alignment	Space	Any	Common	Realign; missed: −10% power for 1 hour
A whisper of entropy	Space	Any	Common	−5% production for 1 hour; ominous Codex page
A vision of the Antiverse	Space	Any	Rare	A free Codex page and +10% research for 1 hour
A shadow colony mirrors your moves	Space	Any	Common	Fight it (combat) or out-build it (Materials race)
The hive mind dreams	Space	Any	Common	+5% offline efficiency for the next absence
A star is born nearby	Space	Any	Rare	+10% power for 7 days
A distant supernova	Space	Any	Legendary	+Royal Jelly; a once-in-a-lifetime card
Fishing in quantum foam	Space	Any	Rare	Fishing catches doubled today
A sign from the Great Ant	Space	Any	Legendary	+20% everything for 1 day
A water-ice find in a crater	Space	Any	Common	+Food (ice farming)
A sunspot cycle peaks	Space	Any	Common	+10% solar power for 1 day
A cargo pod goes missing	Space	Any	Common	Search for it (explorers) or write it off (lose 5% Materials)
The hive ship's gardens overgrow	Space	Any	Common	+Food; −5% Materials (pruning)
A rogue moonlet drifts close	Space	Any	Rare	Capture it (+Materials, research cost) or let it pass
Zero-G building contest	Space	Any	Common	+10% building speed for 2 hours
A homesick colony looks back at Earth	Space	Any	Common	+5% morale; a Codex page about home
Static storm in the network	Space	Any	Common	Reroute; missed: −10% Data for 1 hour
An alien pollen cloud	Space	Any	Rare	+Food (exotic) for 1 day
A space-suited ant explorer returns	Space	Any	Common	Reveals 2 Exploration tiles
Orbital debris field	Space	Any	Common	Clear it (Materials) or route around (Exploration +20% cost for 2 hours)
A crystal cave on an asteroid	Space	Any	Rare	+Materials (big)
Low-orbit sunrise every 90 minutes	Space	Any	Common	Day-night events doubled for 3 hours
An alien beetle swarm migrates past	Space	Any	Common	Defend; missed: lose 5% Food
Martian sand sculptures	Space	Any	Rare	Cosmetic for 7 days; +5% morale
A broken probe offers old data	Space	Any	Common	+research
A gravity-assist slingshot	Space	Any	Common	Exploration 30% faster for 1 hour
A methane lake on Titan	Space	Any	Rare	A new Fishing spot (methane fishing)
Space sickness in new recruits	Space	Any	Common	−10% growth for 1 hour
A dust-devil on Mars uncovers ruins	Space	Any	Rare	A story fragment and Royal Jelly
The colony's first off-world birth	Space	Any	Legendary	+Population (big) and a commemorative card
An interplanetary trade fair	Space	Any	Rare	Trade any resource 1:1 for 1 hour
A wormhole flickers open	Space	Any	Legendary	Send scouts through (a new region, risk) or leave it
The hive mind hums in unison	Space	Any	Common	+5% production for 2 hours
Starlight harvest	Space	Any	Common	+power for 1 hour

Categories: Story · Events