Historic First: Mosquitoes Discovered in Previously Mosquito-Free Iceland

Iceland has long been renowned as one of the few mosquito-free places on Earth.

In a surprising development, mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland for the first time, ending the nation's status as one of the world's few mosquito-free territories, a researcher confirmed to AFP on Monday.

According to Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes—two females and one male—were identified approximately 30 kilometres north of Reykjavik, the capital city.

"They were all collected from wine ropes... aimed at attracting moths," Alfredsson explained via email. This collection method involves adding sugar to heated wine and then soaking ropes or fabric strips in the solution before hanging them outdoors to attract insects with a sweet tooth.

Historically, Iceland has shared the distinction with Antarctica of being among the planet's only regions without an indigenous mosquito population.

Alfredsson noted, "It is the first record of mosquitoes occurring in the natural environment in Iceland. A single Aedes nigripes specimen (arctic mosquito species) was collected many years ago from an airplane at Keflavik airport," though he added that "unfortunately, that specimen is lost".

The entomologist suggested that their presence might "indicate a recent introduction to the country, possibly via ships or containers." He emphasized that additional monitoring in spring would be necessary to determine whether these mosquitoes have established themselves and spread further.

While climate change—characterized by rising temperatures, extended summers, and milder winters—typically creates more favorable conditions for mosquito populations to flourish, Alfredsson did not attribute this discovery to warming climate patterns.

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

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