Iceland has long been considered one of the few countries in the world without mosquitoes, but researcher Alfredsson reports that mosquito traces have recently been detected in Iceland for the first time.
According to Agence France-Presse, Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, said that three banded woolly mosquitoes, including two females and one male, were found about 30 kilometers north of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.
On the 20th, Alfredsson said in an email: “All of them were caught from wine ropes… the wine rope was originally used to attract moths.” The method he described involves adding sugar to heated wine, then soaking a rope or cloth strip in the solution and suspending it outdoors to lure insects interested in sweetness.
Iceland, like Antarctica, has long been one of the few regions on Earth where mosquitoes have not established a habitat.
Alfredsson said: “This is the first recorded finding of mosquitoes in Iceland’s natural environment.” He also noted that years ago, a specimen of Aedes nigripes (an Arctic mosquito species) was collected from an airplane at Keflavik Airport, “but unfortunately, that specimen has been lost.”
He stated that the appearance of these mosquitoes “may indicate they recently entered Iceland via ships or cargo containers,” but further monitoring in the spring of next year is needed to confirm whether there is additional spread.
In general, climate change brings rising temperatures, longer summers, and milder winters, creating more favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes.
However, Alfredsson does not believe that climate warming can explain this mosquito finding.
He pointed out that this type of mosquito “seems highly adapted to cold climates,” able “to survive long, harsh winters and endure even subzero temperatures,” and that their “diverse breeding habitats… further enhance their ability to survive in Iceland’s challenging environment.”