9 replies to this topic

[ConcordAntman]

FYI…

 

https://www.wired.co...e6d9d32a971879b

[Ernteameise]

Yeah, I have seen that!

Well, the smuggling is already rampant here in Europe (where there are no laws concerning ants) but the US offer a much larger market.

So much money could be made.

However, did they not cancel the low price small parcels in the US now? So many overseas sellers and even postal services (I know of the Australia Post) do not send small parcels to the US anymore,

due to much higher costs for small parcels.

As bad as the situation is, maybe this might protect the US, since all the Asian ant sellers will think twice before sending ants? 

[ConcordAntman]

Interesting take on an unintended consequence of our tariffs! Good to hear your voice old friend!

[Ernteameise]

Interesting take on an unintended consequence of our tariffs! Good to hear your voice old friend!

I did read another article about this and they mentioned that often, people from the US are not aware of the ant laws and they indeed order from sellers in Asia. 

But there were several cases of intercepted smuggled ants in Germany, too.

There was this big case recently where German ant smugglers tried to smuggle ants from Kenia, they were caught and they face very high fines and probably prison. 

If there is a market, and African ants sell for a lot of money! people will create a black market. 

[Ants_Dakota]

I think it will be further incentivized by the cuts to APHIS itself, meaning vendors now have to wait many months for permits to be approved. Even good meaning vendors may smuggle ants from different states without permits just to keep their business going or rely on expired permits to pretend they are still legal. It is going to be a tough couple of years for the big vendors, which is a small win at least for local ant vendors but may hurt the community as a whole.

[ANTdrew]

It’s good to see you back, ConcordAntman!

[bmb1bee]

I've seen that article as well. The problem is that illegal trading of ants has already been widespread throughout the U.S. even before the staff cuts. With all due respect, there really isn't much that has been done to put an end to the issue so far and even without the cuts things will definitely still go on. I don't think the amount of smuggling has any evidence of increasing or decreasing since the cuts have been issued, so it's a bit presumptuous to just pin the blame on the current administration when the problem has been going on for years already.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

Allow me a a bit of reality show here, this is too much misrepresentation in wording for me to turn a blind eye to.

the real is this edit of the linked article headline:

Government Staffing Cuts Have Fueled allowed an Ant-Smuggling Boom.

OR

People willing to pay for illegal things, are THE FUEL that makes smuggling happen in the first place.
If there is no one buying, then there is nothing to smuggle.

Regulation and mitigation measures are not what cause the probables they are fighting. Cutting the staff does not FUEL the smuggle, it ALLOWS it.
A-holes willing to pay are the source of the problem, are The Fule as it were.

Yeah cutting staff is not good, but again the mitigation efforts are not also the cause of the problem being mitigated.
That headline statement is just objectively false, it is a lie that turns a willful blind eye to the true cause of the issue at hand, to use the words and make the statement it does.

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, September 2 2025 - 8:47 AM.

[RushmoreAnts]

As the article stated, one of the main audiences of ant buying is children and parents (it seems like most experienced, adult ant keepers catch their own queens). Oftentimes these audiences are underinformed. Most people wouldn't understand or even think as to why the government would care so much about ants. This mindset leads to the ignorance that incentivizes the illegal ant trade. One of the best ways to combat the illegal ant trade is spreading information and awareness. Most of the capital involved in the illegal ant trade comes from parents. If the parents know what's legal and what's not, then there goes the majority of the illegal traders' profits.

[bmb1bee]

Allow me a a bit of reality show here, this is too much misrepresentation in wording for me to turn a blind eye to.

the real is this edit of the linked article headline:

Government Staffing Cuts Have Fueled allowed an Ant-Smuggling Boom.

OR

People willing to pay for illegal things, are THE FUEL that makes smuggling happen in the first place.
If there is no one buying, then there is nothing to smuggle.

Regulation and mitigation measures are not what cause the probables they are fighting. Cutting the staff does not FUEL the smuggle, it ALLOWS it.
A-holes willing to pay are the source of the problem, are The Fule as it were.

Yeah cutting staff is not good, but again the mitigation efforts are not also the cause of the problem being mitigated.
That headline statement is just objectively false, it is a lie that turns a willful blind eye to the true cause of the issue at hand, to use the words and make the statement it does.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I personally think the author was more inclined to point fingers and blame certain people rather than try to actually resolve or comprehend the issue. The conclusions I've drawn from the article are somewhat telling of how little the author understood the actual issue at hand.