Mosquitoes have finally conquered the land of fire, ice and former Vikings, the island of Iceland. A local insect enthusiast discovered mosquitoes over several nights last week while using wine-soaked ropes to observe moths, the BBC said, citing local media reports.
The development assumes importance as Iceland has been one of only two mosquito-free havens on the planet, the other being the continent of Antarctica. The island’s cold climate and lack of stagnant water have usually prevented mosquitoes from breeding.
Hjaltason found two female mosquitoes and one male in Kjós, a glacial valley to the Southwest of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.
He sent the insects to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History to be identified. The insects were confirmed by entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson to be Culiseta annulata, one of the few species of mosquito that can survive winter. These mosquitoes are common across parts of Europe and North Africa.
It is unclear as to how the insects reached Iceland.
The island nation though has broken multiple records for its high temperatures this year, according to the BBC.
Usually, Iceland experiences temperatures over 20C in May. However, heatwaves of this kind do not last more than two to three days.
“That threshold was exceeded for 10 consecutive days this year in different parts of the country, though. Iceland also saw its hottest ever day in May, with temperatures reaching 26.6C (79.8F) at Eglisstaðir Airport,” noted the BBC.
“The last fortress seems to have fallen,” Hjaltason told Iceland's Morgunblaðið news site.