NAIROBI, April 23, 2025, (Reuters) — In an unusual twist to Kenya’s wildlife trafficking battle, police who raided a guesthouse near Hell’s Gate National Park earlier this month were not pursuing poachers of elephant tusks or rhino horn, but instead a more discreet and surprisingly lucrative trade—queen ants.
Two Belgian teenagers were arrested at Jane Guesthouse in Naivasha for attempting to smuggle queen ants harvested from giant African harvester colonies. Along with a Vietnamese man and a
Kenyan national, all four individuals pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking charges and are set to be sentenced on May 7, a local magistrate confirmed on Wednesday.
Prosecutors estimate the market value of the seized queen ants at around 1.2 million Kenyan shillings (approximately $9,300). However, according to calculations by Reuters, the same haul could have fetched as much as $1 million on the European market, depending on species variety and survival rate.
“It’s like cocaine,” said Dino Martins, director of the Turkana Basin Institute and one of Kenya’s leading entomologists. “The value difference between sourcing them here and selling them abroad is massive.”
Court documents revealed that about 5,440 queen ants were intercepted at Nairobi’s airport. With an average retail value of £175 ($233) per queen from six British ant dealers, the total potential street value skyrockets—highlighting a growing underground market among insect hobbyists who maintain elaborate ant colonies, or formicariums, to observe their complex social behaviors.
Ecological Risk and Wildlife Law Enforcement
Queen ants are the backbone of any colony, being the sole egg-layers. Their illegal removal threatens local ant populations and, by extension, Kenya’s broader ecosystem. Martins warned that queen ant trafficking could severely undermine environmental balance, particularly in the country’s savannah regions.
The operation also raises alarms about how wildlife crime is evolving. While high-profile poaching often centers on large mammals, this case signals a shift to more obscure but ecologically vital species.
“This case is about more than insect smuggling,” said Erustus Kanga, Director General of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). “It reflects a dangerous trend where criminal networks are moving beyond ivory to target all forms of biodiversity—plants, insects, even microorganisms.”
Legal Loopholes and Market Complexity
Ant exports from Kenya are legal with the appropriate licenses, but the regulatory framework is complex and difficult to navigate. According to Martins, the accused may have been unaware of the full legal implications, but that does not diminish the severity of the crime.
“We are not criminals—we’re just 18 and naive. I just want to go home and start my life,” Belgian defendant David Lornoy told the court last week.
Samuel Mutua, a wildlife crime expert with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the scale of the seizure indicates this was not a casual operation. “Regardless of their age, the fact they could collect such a large number of ants suggests coordination and planning,” he said.
However, Martins emphasized that beyond trafficking, insects in East Africa face a greater threat from habitat destruction and pesticide use, which kill millions daily. He added that harvester ants play a vital role in Kenya’s ecosystems by spreading and cultivating grass seeds that sustain the region’s iconic grasslands.
“If we lost all elephants, it would be tragic, but the grasslands would survive. Lose the ants and termites, and the savannah collapses,” Martins warned.
As authorities investigate whether the operation was an isolated incident or part of a broader trafficking network, conservationists are calling for stricter enforcement of wildlife laws and a broader awareness of biodiversity threats.
