One ant for $220: the new frontier of wildlife trafficking

Right now, ants are swarming across Kenya, particularly in the Rift Valley town of Gilgil. This is the mating season, when winged males depart their nests to mate with queens. The phenomenon has drawn attention to a hidden illegal trade, as these queens are highly sought after by collectors worldwide. Known scientifically as Messor cephalotes, they are prized for their striking red color and large size, fetching up to £170 ($220) on the black market.

A booming underground market

Kenya’s rural areas have become a hub for a thriving illegal market, where local collectors supply smugglers with these queens. The process involves capturing the ants during their flight, a task that requires timing and skill. “A friend told me a foreigner was paying good money for queen ants – the big red ones which are easily seen around here,” recalled a former broker. “We would bring the ants to them packed in small tubes or syringes they supplied us with.”

“Initially, I was unaware of the illegality,” the man said. “The foreigners never came to the fields themselves – they would wait in town, in a guest house or a car.”

The scale of the trade became evident last year when 5,000 queens were discovered at a guest house in Naivasha. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the ants were stored in test tubes with moist cotton wool, ensuring their survival for two months. The plan was to transport them to Europe and Asia, where they would be sold to enthusiasts eager to keep them in transparent enclosures.

Why these ants are special

Dino Martins, a Kenyan biologist, noted the unexpected popularity of the species among collectors. “Even I, as an entomologist, have been surprised at the extent of the apparent trade,” he explained. “They are one of the most enigmatic species of ants – they form large colonies, engage in interesting behaviours and are easy to keep.”

These queens can grow up to 25mm (0.98 inches) and live for decades. Their colonies, sustained by thousands of female workers, are resilient and can persist for over 50 years. “I personally know of nests near Nairobi that are at least 40 years old,” Martins added. “Once the queen dies, the entire colony collapses.”

From fields to markets

Collectors often gather the ants by disturbing their mounds, catching them as they flee. “You look for the mounds near open fields, usually early morning before the heat,” the former broker said. “The males mate with several females during the swarming season, after which they are eaten by predators or die.”

For Kenyans, the ants are a familiar nuisance. When colonies threaten crops or homes, people seek out the queen to eliminate them. This practice has inadvertently fueled the illegal trade, as those who know how to locate the queens become unwitting participants in the black market. The trade’s rise has caught scientists and authorities off guard, highlighting a shift from traditional wildlife crimes involving elephants and rhinos to a more subtle, insect-based trade.