Mosquitoes were detected in Iceland for the first time this month, resulting in the country losing its status as one of the only places in the world without them. The findings were confirmed by the country’s national science institute on Monday.This follows record-breaking heat this past summer, which has sped up the glacial melting in the country.When were mosquitoes detected in Iceland?On October 16, insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason posted on a Facebook group Skordýr og Nytjadýr Á Íslandi (Insects in Iceland) that he had spotted mosquitoes in Kidafell, Kjos at dusk that day.He said he had caught some using a red wine ribbon, a trap using sweetened wine as bait to attract insects. Kjos is a glacial valley around 52km (32 miles) northeast of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.Hjaltason sent the mosquitoes to the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, where entomologist Matthias Alfredsson confirmed they were indeed mosquitoes.Which type of mosquitoes have been found?Alfredsson identified the mosquitoes as belonging to the Culiseta annulata species. This cold-resistant species is native to the Palearctic, which refers to Europe, North Africa and most of Asia north of the Himalayas. The Cuilseta annulata are not known to carry disease, but are generally considered a nuisance.“It has adapted to a rather cold climate, surviving the winter as an adult and then staying in shelter, such as outbuildings and basements. The fly stings but is not considered dangerous to hu …
