The Ants Underground Kingdom Resource Guide: Production and Gathering
One missing resource can stall an otherwise active colony. This guide is for players who need to find that weak point. It covers all seven resources in The Ants: Underground Kingdom, their production sources, their uses, and the role of map gathering beside underground production.
The seven colony resources
Each resource has its own source and job. Some keep the colony running, while others pay for troops, research, construction, or upgrades.
| Resource | Where it comes from | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Woodlouse Colonies. A discovered Woodlouse can hold several colonies, so one source can support several producers. | Training troops and stocking the Feeding Grounds. |
| Plants | Plant Flora buildings. | Construction, building upgrades, and conversion into fungi by the Leafcutter. |
| Fungi | Native Fungi sites and the Leafcutter, which turns plants into fungi. | Most colony activity and research. Parts of the colony slow down or stop when fungi runs out. |
| Water | The Spring. A water reservoir can hold several harvester buildings. | Hauling to the Feeding Grounds alongside meat. |
| Sand | Sand Piles. A sand formation can hold several production buildings. | Construction. |
| Honeydew | Aphid larvae. Unlike the other listed resources, honeydew has no storage building of its own. | Building upgrades and evolution research in the Evolution Fungi building. |
| Wet Soil | Wet Soil Piles found at Swamps. A swamp can hold several production buildings. | Upgrading certain structures. |
The source matters as much as the use. If troop training is draining your meat, more sand will not solve the delay. If construction is waiting on plants or sand, extra water only helps the Feeding Grounds. Match the stalled task to the resource it needs, then work on that resource’s production and map gathering.
Fungi and the Leafcutter conversion
Fungi is the only resource on this list with two production paths. Native Fungi sites produce it directly. The Leafcutter provides the other path by taking plants and turning them into fungi.
This makes plants part of two resource lines. You can spend them on construction and upgrades, or supply them to the Leafcutter for fungi. The conversion does not create a new use for plants. It changes plants into the resource that feeds most colony activity and research.
An empty fungi store affects more than one planned task. Parts of the colony can slow down or stop, and research also needs fungi. Keep both fungi sources in mind: direct output from Native Fungi and converted output from a Leafcutter supplied with plants.
📋 Repeat work does not have to take all your play time. The Ants bot runs gathering runs and daily upkeep on a Windows PC. See the Premium option.
How production sites work
A production site and a production building are not always the same thing. The discovered site is the source area. Matching buildings placed at that source do the production work. A Woodlouse supports Woodlouse Colonies, a water reservoir supports water harvesters, a sand formation supports Sand Piles, and a Swamp supports Wet Soil Piles.
When the game says a site holds several buildings, it means the first building does not use all of that source. Add more matching buildings at discovered sites instead of treating one producer as the finished setup. Each added and upgraded production building strengthens that part of the colony’s resource flow.
Plants follow the same broad production plan through Plant Flora buildings. Fungi comes from Native Fungi sites and the Leafcutter, while aphid larvae produce honeydew. The exact source changes, but the work stays clear: build and upgrade as many production sites as you can.
Connect production buildings to the queen. A producer that is not connected is not part of a complete production layout. As output grows, upgrade the storeroom to raise storage capacity. Honeydew is the exception in this list because it has no storage building of its own.
Map gathering, Cultivator research and Tier 1 carriers
Gathering means sending gathering ants to a resource point on the map. It adds resources while your buildings continue producing underground. It does not replace Woodlouse Colonies, Plant Flora, Native Fungi, Springs, Sand Piles, aphid larvae, or Wet Soil Piles.
Cultivator research is the biggest single lever on gathering speed. After building and upgrading your production sites, push Cultivator research to improve the map side of the resource loop.
Use Tier 1 carriers for gathering runs. Their march speed and capacity make them the effective choice for this job. The point is not to replace production with marches. It is to keep production active while carriers collect the resource that needs more support.
Attacking another player can loot that player’s resources, but new players should stay out of it. Gathering from map resource points is the safer focus described here. Free resources from The Ants: Underground Kingdom gift codes can also help when your own supply is tight.
The order to work in
Use this order when several resource lines need work at once:
- Connect production buildings to the queen. Start with the producers already in your colony so the production layout is connected.
- Build more production sites. Use Woodlouse Colonies, Plant Flora buildings, Native Fungi sites, Springs, Sand Piles, aphid larvae, and Wet Soil Piles for their matching resources.
- Use the room at discovered sources. Woodlice, water reservoirs, sand formations, and Swamps can each hold several matching buildings.
- Upgrade as many production sites as you can. More production work underground gives map gathering a steady base to support.
- Keep the food lines active. Haul meat and water to the Feeding Grounds. Supply plants to the Leafcutter when you need converted fungi.
- Upgrade the storeroom. This raises storage capacity for the resources that use it.
- Push Cultivator research, then gather. Send Tier 1 carriers to map resource points for their march speed and capacity.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my colony slow down when fungi runs out?
Fungi feeds most colony activity and research. When the store is empty, parts of the colony can slow down or stop. Produce it at Native Fungi sites and convert plants into fungi with the Leafcutter.
Does map gathering replace production buildings?
No. Gathering runs alongside production. Keep your underground producers built, upgraded, and connected to the queen while gathering ants collect from resource points on the map.
Which troops should I use for gathering?
Use Tier 1 carriers. Their march speed and capacity make them the effective choice for gathering runs.
What should I improve for faster gathering?
Push Cultivator research. It is the single biggest lever on gathering speed. Build and upgrade as many production sites as you can before making Cultivator research the next focus.
Should a new player attack colonies for resources?
No. Attacking another player can loot that player’s resources, but new players should stay out of it. Focus on production buildings, storeroom capacity, Cultivator research, and map gathering.
Last verified 16 August 2026.
