US faces rising threat of ant invasions amid weak enforcement

The return of President Donald Trump to the White House in January, 2025, brought sweeping changes to US governance. Foreign aid programs were curtailed, tariff policies disrupted global trade, and federal agencies faced steep staffing reductions. Among the hardest hit was the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which oversees efforts to stop the smuggling of invasive pests.

Sources told WIRED that many entomologists left the agency permanently, leaving enforcement gaps. Armando Rosario-Lebrón, former cochair of the Federal Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens, said, “The illegal market rapidly has become much more aggressive because of the lack of enforcement.”

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Risks of invasive ant species

Experts caution that even limited introductions of foreign ants can spiral into major ecological problems. Rosario-Lebrón told WIRED, “The invasiveness potential is off the charts. It's just ridiculous.” Past outbreaks, such as the tawny crazy ant in Florida, have demonstrated how invasive species can disrupt homes and damage infrastructure.

Heather Curlett, a USDA spokesperson, told WIRED in a statement that enforcement of federal plant pest regulations “has not changed or diminished.”

Young buyers, online sellers

Ant-keeping has grown in popularity, often among young enthusiasts. Rosario-Lebrón told WIRED the customer base is primarily “children under 17,” many of whom may not realize interstate ant sales require USDA permits.

However, black market sellers are aware of the regulations. One anonymous trafficker told WIRED, “It’s getting out of hand. They realize the US market is a gold mine.”

Another trafficker told WIRED that sales flourish both on eBay and private Discord servers, estimating that an order worth $350 on Discord could sell for $1,000 on eBay.

Rising tensions in black market

Competition among smugglers has intensified. One seller told WIRED, “I’ve seen two guys threaten to shoot each other online. Over a children’s hobby!”

Dealers are also harvesting ants in bulk from sensitive habitats. A seller told WIRED, “It’s going to start hurting the population. You can’t just take thousands of queens without causing issues.”

Scientific and regulatory alarm

Chris Stelzig, executive director of the Entomological Society of America, told WIRED, “There’s been a lot of cutting of the inspectors as part of the quote-unquote ‘efficiency’ moves from the government recently. A reduced infrastructure to detect invasive species can be problematic.”

Carlos Blanco, a former USDA entomologist, told WIRED, “Some of these illegal vendors would laugh in our faces.” He described the rise in illicit ant sales as “a headache we really tried to control.”

Rosario-Lebrón added that he pushed for legal avenues, saying, “We started working really hard to permit people.”

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Government response

Curlett of the USDA added, “We work to address all instances of noncompliance both from permit holders who fail to follow the terms and conditions of their permits and those who move plant pests without obtaining the proper permits.” She added that entomology staffing within the pest permitting unit remains unchanged.

Michael Mascari, spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection, told WIRED that the agency “has not seen any significant change in interceptions of ants this year.”

Global ant smuggling

Ant trafficking is not limited to the United States. Earlier this year, two Belgian teenagers were arrested in Kenya while attempting to smuggle 5,000 ants in test tubes for overseas sale, according to WIRED.

A US-based smuggler told WIRED that ants can be regularly ordered from Thailand, Vietnam, China, and parts of Europe without major obstacles.