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[sweetgrass]

A subsericea ant hatched overnight. (My first ant from my first queen I ever caught at my acreage. )

I gave it to one of the obscuripes queens and removed the 5 cocoons and gave them back to the mother. The meeting went well. I was scared as her jaws were snapping. Soon she was grooming her new worker.
As well overnight a subsericea pupae emerged so I gave that to the obscuripes as well.

So one obscuripes has a baby ant and 2 pupae.
The other obscuripes has 2 pupae.
All from the same subsericea queen.

Meanwhile the subsericea queen went to work on one of the cocoons. I watched her chew it out and be born. It was moving. Now it is in her brood pile sleeping I hope.
There is another cocoon needing opening. She is quite hyper with all this.
I was unsuccessful digging up a Formica mound for brood

But I did capture a Formica sp worker under a log I know has black ants. It had a bundle of eggs. I gave the eggs to the busy subsericea queen.

Will be interesting to see how the 2 obscuripes queens make out with their added subsericea.

I have pics. Such a chore to post them.

[Tfisupe]

Keep us posted!