Kenya’s queen ants worth $220 each fuel global wildlife black market
Wycliffe Muia, NairobiSunday March 29, 2026
Giant African harvester ants - seen here in Kenya - have become highly sought after by hobby collectors across the world
Right now, the ants are taking flight in Kenya.
In the rainy season, clouds of them rise from thousands of anthills around Gilgil, a quiet farming town in Kenya's Rift Valley that has unexpectedly become the hub of a lucrative illegal trade.
The mating ritual sends winged males out of the nest to fertilise queens, which also take to the air at this time. That…