Mosquitoes Caught in Iceland Symptom of Climate Change, Experts Say

Looking for a place to avoid the buzz of mosquitoes on your next vacation?  Your options are down to one place: Antarctica. That’s after researchers in Iceland identified three of the pests caught in a backyard trap.

The specimens were found stuck to wine-soaked ropes normally meant to catch moths. They were all of the species Culiseta annulata.

Björn Hjaltason is the man who discovered the skeeters. “The last fortress has fallen,” he posted to an insect-tracking Facebook group. “If three of them came straight into my garden, there were probably more.”

Hjaltason sent the insects to Matthías Alfreðsson. He is an entomologist. He confirmed that they were Culiseta annulata mosquitoes. It is a species native to the UK. Alfreðsson explained to CBS News why the tiny find was significant.

"It is the first record of mosquitoes ... in Iceland,” Alfreðsson said.

It is not known if the mosquitoes can survive Iceland’s winter. But Iceland is getting warmer. Its average annual temperature has increased 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 20 years. It broke several heat-related records earlier this year. That may make it easier for bugs to live in the country.

Culiseta annulata do feed off humans. They don’t carry any dangerous diseases, though. They are a naturally cold-resistant species. They lay their eggs in still water. They may look for it in barns or basements. If they find it, they may be in Iceland to stay, Alfreðsson says. 

Reflect: If you discovered a new kind insect in your backyard, how do you think it might change the way you see the environment around you?

Photo of mosquito from Unsplash courtesy of Wolfgang Hasselmann.