Day One: My plans are underway sooner than expected. Yesterday evening, I stumbled upon the corpse of a hound in the street. The bloodflies had only found it a day or so earlier, I estimate, and I was able to extract intact bloodfly larva from it. I’m keeping them warm under a nice side of mutton.
Day Two: Success! Two of my samples hatched overnight, which was sooner than I could have anticipated. They’re both active and get quite agitated when I draw near.
Day Seven: I didn’t think it was possible, but they’ve almost quadrupled in size from when I found them.
Day Ten: Still no nest, which puts a fairly large dent in my hopes for blood amber extraction.
Day Twelve: Just when I wondered if I was going to have to go find a queen, a task that seemed impossible, my bloodflies have initiated some process that seems promising. One has gone into a dormant stage, while the other is frenetically busy, chewing up bits of wood or leaves, and regurgitating it around its sibling. They’re up to something.
Day Fifteen: As I expected, the second bloodfly has emerged from its encasing larger, swollen, and transformed. Lacking a queen, the pair decided to make one! Though how they chose between them, I will probably never know. She’s beautiful.
Day Twenty: The swarm and the nest have grown immensely. I don’t know yet how I’ll get to the blood amber inside the nest, but I’ll find a way.