Iceland witnesses mosquitoes for the first time
After an unprecedented warm spring this year in Iceland, mosquitoes were seen for the first time in this cold country.
According to local media, Bjorn Jaltason, an Icelandic citizen interested in insects, observed several mosquitoes last week around wine-soaked ropes he had hung to watch moths.
He was able to identify two female mosquitoes and one male mosquito, which are among the few species that survive through winter.
Until now, Iceland and Antarctica were considered the only mosquito-free regions on Earth.
Experts say that Iceland’s cold climate and the absence of stagnant waters, where insects can breed, have been the main reasons for the lack of mosquitoes in this country.
However, the weather in Iceland this year reached unprecedented warmth, breaking several records including the warmest day in May during spring.
These mosquitoes were observed in a glacial valley in the southwest of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.