Identifying queen found in New Mexico

[gluner]

Hi! I captured some queen ants during their nuptial flight in New Mexico, south of Albuquerque. They were captured on June 19, 2018.

The queens are 10-12mm long. The males were maybe 8-9mm but I don't have one to measure. The workers were a bit smaller still.

During the daytime the ants were swarming in the air, but then in the evening they stopped flying and formed groups on the ground (ant balls, basically) of 5 to 30+ male ants all surrounding a single queen. This enabled me to easily locate the queens.

I put each queen in a test tube with a cotton ball soaked in water, and 2 of them have laid eggs (each queen laid ~5 eggs so far). I've been keeping them in a dark cabinet I don't open.

I'd like some help identifying the species. Here are a couple photos of them mating, and also a photo of one of the queens that died. She's much easier to photograph than the live ones that have laid eggs, and I don't want to disturb them either.

https://imgur.com/a/EoAzWPK

Is this a species that I should provide some sugar water or honey water for? Thanks!

[Batspiderfish]

Pogonomyrmex rugosus

[StormDancer]

They are semi claustral so offer them a small outworld with both sugars and protien.

[gluner]

Thanks! One queen has survived and she's laid about 20 eggs! No workers yet though