Four people – including two Belgian teenagers – have been charged in Kenya with trafficking thousands of live ants in what the country’s wildlife authority says underscores the growing trade in lesser-known species.

The suspects, two Belgians, a Vietnamese national and a Kenyan, were arrested in separate operations and found with more than 5,000 ants packed into containers designed to keep the insects alive during transport.

All four have pleaded guilty to illegal possession and attempted export of protected wildlife.

“This unprecedented case signals a shift in trafficking trends – from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species,” the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said in a public statement.

The Belgians, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both aged 19, were arrested on 5 April at a guesthouse in Nakuru, central Kenya.

Authorities discovered 2,244 test tubes and syringes containing ants, according to a court document seen by Reuters. The containers were filled with cotton wool to help the ants survive the journey.

“Investigations revealed that the test tubes had been designed to sustain the ants for up to two months and evade airport security detection,” the KWS said, describing the operation as “premeditated and well-executed”.

The Vietnamese and Kenyan suspects were arrested separately in Nairobi with another 400 ants in their possession.

Appearing in court on Tuesday in Nairobi, the Belgian teens appeared visibly distressed and were comforted by relatives, the Associated Press reported.

They told the magistrate they had been collecting the ants “for fun” and did not realise their actions were illegal. “We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity we did,” David told the court.

The case has been adjourned until 23 April. The court will consider pre-sentencing reports from the KWS, the National Museums of Kenya and a probation officer.

The seized ants – valued at around 1 million Kenyan shillings, or about $7,800 – included queens of Messor Cephalotes, a species native to East Africa.

Some ant species, especially queens, are prized by collectors who keep them in transparent formicariums to observe their colonies.

The British retailer AntsRUs describes Messor Cephalotes as the "dream species” for many people.

“Queens are around 20–24mm long and have a beautiful red and brown/black coloration,” the company says. A single queen is listed at £99.99 ($132), though the species is currently out of stock.

A source involved in the trade, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the species is difficult to obtain and much in demand. The source added that exporting Messor Cephalotes legally requires a licence from the KWS and a health certificate.

Kenya’s wildlife laws apply to insects as well as mammals. Any collection, trade or export must be authorised through official permits.

The KWS said the illegal export attempt “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits”.

Philip Muruthi, vice president of conservation at the Africa Wildlife Foundation, told the Associated Press that ants play an essential role in supporting ecosystems.

“When you see a healthy forest, like Ngong Forest, you don’t think about what is making it healthy. It is the relationships all the way from the bacteria to the ants to the bigger things,” he said.

Muruthi warned that unregulated wildlife trade – even involving insects – could pose risks to agriculture and biodiversity in other countries.

“Even if there is trade, it should be regulated and nobody should be taking our resources just like that,” he said.

The four defendants are due back in court on 23 April for sentencing.