Update #1
Monday, July 18th, 2022
Formica Fusca group(Perhaps Subsericea?)
This colony has gone through quite a lot. I found this queen last year sometime(I do not recall the date or location) and began attempting to raise her. Her first batch of eggs was eaten when i had heating pad issues(Apparently i did too much research and bought a heating pad that was too high quality, frying some of my ants... 
). Well, i just rediscovered her, after she somehow survived the winter, and all of spring and summer without me feeding her. I quickly got her a new test tube, and some carbs and protein, and am hopeful that she will again lay eggs. If that does not happen, i will begin the process of brood boosting her.
Formica Fusca group(Perhaps Subsericea?)
I found this queen on July 16th, 2022 in Iowa on an anting trip. She literally landed right next to me. There is no inclination as to if she is mated yet, so we shall just have to see. She is not however, chewing at the cotton(Which formica seem to do often when unmated), so that is a good sign.
Formica Neogagates group(Unknown)
This beautiful queen was found at a gas station in Iowa during my anting trip. She has about 6 eggs at the current moment, which leads me to believe that she is mated. She is super hyper and touchy, and will jump at any tap or light. Also she is currently working on decimating the cotton covering the test tube entrance, so lets hope that never happens...
Formica Fusca group(Unknown)
I have not had much luck identifying this queen, as i have never really seen a species like it in south dakota. Like the past two queens, she was also found in Iowa on my anting trip. She is super shiny and physogastric, and currently has 2 eggs. I would love to have any help you can give me for species guesses!
Formica Fusca group(Montana)
I got this colony a while back, probably like 2 years ago, in an ant trade with AntsDakota, but neglected them last year. However, due to last years die-off of ants, this became my only colony left, so i decided to spend some of my very small budget on them. The colony has 5 queens, and now resides in a mini hearth by tar heel ants. Due to me caring feeding them more than last year, they are taking off in growth, already having doubled in population in the first half of summer alone, with much brood to still hatch. Workers are also growing in size due to me feeding them protein regularly as well. Montana is my and AntsDakota's best guess for this species, but i would love any of your help if you think you know otherwise. (pics are not the greatest because ants keep the glass dirty)
Thank you for spending time reading my journal! Let me know below which queen is your favorite, and any tips you have for me!
Also, i am working on hiring a professional photographer to see if i can get some better pictures of my ants!
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This is the First Update! This is the most recent update!
Edited by Ants_Dakota, July 18 2022 - 10:31 AM.
Answered
