Hello all,
Just getting into ant keeping. I've done quite a bit of research, but still looking to learn more. I have never kept ants before, but I have kept few varieties of reptiles and amphibians over the years. So I am use to monitoring humidity and specialized diets.
Haven't had much luck catching my own queen yet, so I registered with the GAN project. Sadly, they only have a few starter colonies available at the moment up near Chicago. (Pretty sure the wife would disown me if I told her I was going to be gone fore the next 5-7 hours to go buy an ant.) 
The majority of ants I've seen in my yard resemble the photos I've seen of tapinoma and also possibly Prenolepis (they were faming aphids at the time, so I didn't bother them). I did find one camptonotus alate dying in my driveway a few days ago, but have not found any colonies nearby. It was good sized, roughly 3/4" before it started curling up. There is also one elusive bright orange ant with a dark gaster that pops up around my deck from time to time, but have yet to catch it to get a better look.
My favorite species to view on online is Bull ants, I really enjoy how they move and observe everything with those big ole eyes. Too bad they aren't an option for keeping on this side of the globe.
If anyone near or traveling through central IL has a starter queen up for grabs, drop me a message. I'm open to most species as long as they are not slave making or super tiny.
