For the first time ever, mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland after the island nation recorded unusually high spring temperatures.
Local insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason made the finding while observing moths in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of Reykjavik. Over several nights, Hjaltason captured two female and one male mosquito using wine-soaked ropes. The insects were later identified by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History as Culiseta annulata a hardy mosquito species capable of surviving cold winters.
Iceland had long been one of only two mosquito-free regions on Earth, alongside Antarctica, thanks to its frigid climate and lack of stagnant breeding grounds. However, record-breaking heat this year appears to have changed that.
According to Iceland’s Meteorological Office, temperatures in May exceeded 20°C for ten consecutive days a rare event and reached an all-time high of 26.6°C at Egilsstaðir Airport. Experts warn that such warming trends could disrupt Iceland’s delicate ecosystems.
Entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson, who confirmed the mosquito identification, said more studies will be needed next spring to determine whether the insects have permanently established themselves in Iceland.
Hjaltason speculated the mosquitoes might have arrived via ships or containers from Grundartangi, a nearby industrial port. “If three of them showed up in my garden, there are probably more,” he remarked.
The discovery underscores how rising global temperatures with 2024 already the hottest year on record are altering even the coldest and most isolated habitats on the planet.
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