NAIROBI, Kenya — Two Belgian teens who pleaded guilty after they were found with thousands of ants valued at $9,200 that were allegedly headed for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a judge said.

Kenyan Magistrate Njeri Thuku said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports filed in court before passing sentence on May 7.

Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 while in possession of 5,000 ants at a guest house. They were charged on April 15 with violating wildlife conservation laws.

The ants’ enclosures ranged from test tubes and syringes containing cotton wool, which would allow the insects to survive for several weeks.

Their enclosures were a mixture of test tubes and syringes containing cotton wool – environments that authorities say would keep the insects alive for weeks.

“We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity we did,” David said.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the case represented “a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species.”

The seized species include Messor cephalotes, a large red harvester ant native to East Africa. Queens of the species grow to about 20-24mm long.

According to Ants R Us, an ant sales website, the red harvester ants are “many people’s dream species,” selling them for more than $131 colony.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the ants are sought by collectors for their unique behaviors and complex colony-building skills, “traits that make them popular in exotic pet circles, where they are kept in specialised habitats known as formicariums.”

Illegal exportation “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,” the agency said.

Dino Martins, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist in Kenya, said harvester ants are among the most important insects on the African savanna. Trading is bound to have negative ecological consequences.

“Harvester ants are seed collectors, and they gather (the seeds) as food for themselves, storing these in their nests,” Martins said. “A single large harvester ant colony can collect several kilos of seeds of various grasses a year. In the process of collecting grass seeds, the ants ‘drop’ a number … dispersing them through the grasslands."

The insects also serve as food for various other species including aardvarks, pangolins and aardwolves.

Previously, Kenya has fought against the trafficking

Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins.

The Belgian teens entered Kenya on tourist visas and were staying in a guest house in the western town of Naivasha.

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