There were no mosquitoes in this country, but they have already reached there and it is more serious than it seems

Icelandalong with Antarctica, is one of the few places in the world where, given its proximity to the latitudinal poles, marine mammals have not yet reproduced. mosquitoes. Yes, its inhabitants are very cold, but they are free from the annoyance of these insects. Or at least they were spared, according to a recent statement by a scientist from Icelandic Institute of Natural SciencesThree specimens have just been found near Reykjavik that redefine everything we thought about until now. Life of mosquitoes in Iceland.

It is clear that climate change will cause us to encounter more and more insects in latitudes where we are not accustomed to them. Many tropical diseases They are starting to be found in very unusual places due to the arrival of the insects that carry them in those areas. In the case of Iceland, we will no longer be talking about diseases, but rather about simple arrival of mosquitoes.

However, it should be noted that it is possible, at least in this case, that this is not due to climate change. The author of the statement in question is Mattias Alfredssonbelieves that the arrival of these mosquitoes in Iceland may have occurred on boats. This already happened many years ago with a mosquito that arrived by plane. If so, it will be something specific, not related to climate change. Although it is also true that The temperature is rising, and the climate is increasingly conducive to their spread there.. If they arrive by chance, they may find ideal living conditions, and this will be a very accurate indicator of how far climate change has progressed.

Why have there been no mosquitoes in Iceland yet?

In general, mosquitoes They need standing water and warm temperatures. reproduce. That is why they are much more common in the summer. In Iceland, the first ingredient is more than enough. After all, it’s full here wetlands and ponds. However, this country has some conditions that make it a very hostile place for mosquitoes.

On the one hand, these are temperatures, this is understandable. However, in places like Norway, Sweden, Finland or even Greenland yes, there are mosquitoes. This is due to the fact that some of them are adapted to breed in very cold places. Therefore, Iceland is distinguished from all these places by something different. In particular, it spends part of the year surrounded by ice. It is true that there is standing water in which females can lay eggs, but they are lost when freezing the specified water. At most, some larvae may hatch, but they will not be able to become adult mosquitoes.

The problem is that much of this ice has been lost in recent years. In fact, since 1995, Icelandic glaciers have lost 7% of their volume. Some have even disappeared completely, as happened with the Okjökull glacier in 2019. At the same time, three mosquitoes just discovered in Iceland, or others that went unnoticed by science, could be found a place to reproduce.

What has been discovered now?

New news came to light when an amateur moth watcher revealed the name Bjorn Hjaltason He found something in the wine traps in his garden. These traps consist of ropes soaked in wine boiled with sugar. They serve to attract insects for observation, but, logically, I did not expect to find mosquitoes in them. At first I thought there were flies in the trap. Like a good Icelander, he is completely unfamiliar with mosquitoes. However, upon closer inspection, he realized that these were not flies.

He contacted Icelandic Institute of Natural Sciences. One of its scientists, the aforementioned Alfredsson, was responsible for analyzing the mosquitoes. There were two males and one female. Kuliseta annulara species accustomed to breeding in cold climates. Could they find liquid water to stay in?

So what now?

So far this is an isolated case. Perhaps these mosquitoes arrived by boat, as any other animal unfamiliar with the Icelandic climate might have done. The problem is not getting there, but getting there. stayand scientists fear the country has changed enough for them to do so.

This would be unpleasant for Icelanders, many of whom don’t even know what it’s like to be bitten by a mosquito. But besides this, it will be a sign that The world is changing at an alarming rate. If the climate has changed so much that mosquitoes have invaded the only country free of them (Antarctica is a continent), what else could be happening now?