Mosquitoes Spotted in Iceland for the First Time After Record Heat

Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland for the first time following a record-breaking warm spring. Insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason spotted the insects over several nights last week while using wine-soaked ropes to observe moths, local media reported.

Hjaltason found two female mosquitoes and one male, later identified as Culiseta annulata, a species capable of surviving Iceland’s harsh winters.

Iceland had been one of only two mosquito-free regions in the world, alongside Antarctica, largely due to its cold climate. The insects were located in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of Reykjavik.

Sharing his discovery on a local wildlife Facebook page, Hjaltason described “a strange fly on a red wine ribbon” and wrote, “I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before… the last fortress seems to have fallen,” according to Morgunblaðið.

The specimens were sent to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, where entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed the finding.