Mosquitoes discovered in Iceland for the first time

Three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes, two females and one male, were observed about 30 miles north of Reykjavik, according to Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland.

They were all collected from wine ropes... aimed at attracting moths," the researcher said in an email, referring to a method of adding sugar to heated wine and dipping ropes or strips of fabric into the solution, which are then hung outside to lure the sweet-toothed insects.

Like Antarctica, Iceland has long been one of the few places on Earth without a mosquito population.

This is the first record of mosquitoes found in the wild in Iceland. A single Aedes nigripes specimen (an arctic mosquito species) was collected many years ago from an airplane at Keflavik airport," Alfredsson said, adding that "unfortunately, that specimen is lost."

Their presence could "indicate a recent introduction to the country, possibly via ships or containers," he said, but further monitoring in spring will be necessary to determine their further spread.

Rising temperatures, longer summers, and milder winters—all caused by climate change—create a more welcoming environment for mosquitoes to thrive.

However, Alfredsson did not think that a warmer climate explained the discovery.

The species "appears to be well adapted to colder climates," which "allows them to withstand long, harsh winters when temperatures drop below freezing," he said.

He added that its "diverse breeding habitats... further enhances its ability to persist in Iceland's challenging environment."