Native Ants in Chicagoland

[memprime]

What is the best native ant species for Chicago area? I would prefer ones where bites/stings are negligible, and are large enough to be less likely to escape. Thank you.

[TheRealAntMan]

Common beginner ants here are Formica, Camponotus, and Tetramorium.

[Zayltek]

I've currently got two Camponotus colonies at about 10-15 workers each. They are large, haven't been able to climb passed my babypowder barrier (both colonies are in a Tubs & Tubes set up for ease of feeding and maintenance). While I'm very much new to antkeeping(caught my queens in Aurora this spring), feel free to ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer.

[memprime]

Thank you, TheRealAntMan and Zayltek, for your responses!

[Zayltek]

No problem. Here's a peek at my queens and their living quarters. The foil is taken off the tubes for visibility sake.
https://flic.kr/p/NkJGXJ