West Virginia Ant keepers? When to look for queens?

[Nubster]

I'd like to find a queen to start a colony. I'm in eastern WV...when do the various ant species start to fly? I'm looking to possibly start a carpenter ant colony and/or the black garden ant (Lasius niger). I figure the garden ant would be easy to find under a rock...I see them often in our flower gardens. If all else fails, I'll see about collecting a queen and some workers early in the season before their colony grows from under one of those rocks. Or if there are any other ants that you'd recommend for a beginner that I can collect locally...I'm all ears.

[antnest8]

I usually find queens by taking a walk on a side walk for about 5 minuets every day (especially after it rains) But for now the first ants to fly will be Prenolepis Imparis and Camponotus Sps.

[BeccaM]

When is the best time of year to catch queens in WVA/VA? I’m not sure what species I want, probably whatever is most common/easiest to catch. I am looking to start multiple colonies of the same species.