good luck, can't wait to see some grapes. 

Update 7-31-2015
 
1. Location of collection:  29 palms, California.
2. Date of collection: 7-20-2015.
3. Habitat of collection:  Joshua tree/High Desert.
4. Length (from head to gaster):  12mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:  Red head; dark red thorax and yellowish-orange gaster.
 
I dug a bunch of these Myrmecocystus queens up from their founding chambers on 7-20-2015, in 29 Palms, California. I eventually ID'd them as M. mimicus, so I merged their journal into this one. Apparently M. mimicus come in an even bigger color variety than I thought.
 

 

 
 
I put seven of these in my small dirt boxes. I plan to put the rest of them in small shallow containers with Hydrostone in the bottom and dirt on top.
 
1. Location of collection:  Phelan, California.
2. Date of collection: 7-21-2015.
3. Habitat of collection:  Joshua tree/High Desert.
4. Length (from head to gaster):  12mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:  Red head; purple thorax and yellow gaster.
6. Distinguishing characteristics:  Very abundant and long hairs on the head.
 
I found two more of these Myrmecocystus queens wandering around during an early morning mating flight on 7-21-2015, in Phelan, California. The area was still very soaked from all of the rain two days before. These look slightly different, so I am not completely sure they are the same as the ones from 29 Palms.
 
Edit: I am pretty sure now that these are M. mimicus as well.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
These have both been put into some of my small antfarm/dirt boxes. They both immediately dug new nests.
 
Thay all started laying eggs within a day or two

I do not get how last year we did not even know these existed while still catching M.navajos and M.mexicanus, and this year it seems they flew in greater numbers than both M.navajo and M.mexicanus combined...

Edited by Gregory2455, July 31 2015 - 9:36 PM.

This year has ants all over the place...

I do not get how last year we did not even know these existed while still catching M.navajos and M.mexicanus, and this year it seems they flew in greater numbers than both M.navajo and M.mexicanus combined...

I think the mix of species is heavily dependent upon where you looked and was not really something you can use to draw conclusions like that. I know at the spot I looked I left >30 M. mexicanus chambers untouched while on the hunt for more of the other species...

 

I do not get how last year we did not even know these existed while still catching M.navajos and M.mexicanus, and this year it seems they flew in greater numbers than both M.navajo and M.mexicanus combined...

 

I think the mix of species is heavily dependent upon where you looked and was not really something you can use to draw conclusions like that. I know at the spot I looked I left >30 M. mexicanus chambers untouched while on the hunt for more of the other species...

 

Sorry, I meant to add same location too.

Update 8-16-2015

Well the Goffs queen was just about to get workers, when it decided to die. I gave all of its brood to one of my Myrmecocystus navajo queens and she accepted it.

How sad.

Ants really like dying don't they.

Drew is the "purple Back" everyone was talking about?

Drew is the "purple Back" everyone was talking about?

These are the purple backs.  It's a fun name until we find out what species it is

Those are pretty hairy larvae for Myrmecocystus.

My one colony has the same orange-red with black gaster workers.  I haven't tried keying them out yet, although I think one of the queens that died on me keyed out to mimicus.

My one colony has the same orange-red with black gaster workers.  I haven't tried keying them out yet, although I think one of the queens that died on me keyed out to mimicus.

When you say "one of the queens that died on me", are you talking about one with the orange and black workers?