The only place in the world where there is not a single mosquito, why did this species come to Iceland for the first time?

Till now, Iceland was one of those rare countries where not a single mosquito was found. But recently, three mosquitoes were caught in a town called Kjos, of which two were female and one male.

Local resident Björn Hjaltason saw these strange insects in his garden and immediately recognized that they were not normal. Later the Iceland Institute of Natural History confirmed that these are mosquitoes of the Culiseta annulata species, which can survive even in cold areas.

Iceland’s cold climate and frozen water bodies were not at all conducive for mosquitoes to breed. Mosquitoes are cold-blooded creatures, which cannot regulate their body temperature. Therefore, they need warm, moist and stable water so that they can lay eggs and reproduce. For this reason, there was no sign of mosquitoes in Iceland till now.

Scientists believe that the arrival of mosquitoes in Iceland is a direct result of global warming. A rapid increase in temperature has been recorded here in the last few years.

According to reports, Iceland’s temperature is rising four times faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. In the month of May 2025, the temperature in many areas remained above 20°C for 10 consecutive days.

A record of 26.6°C was set at Eglistadir Airport, which was the hottest May day ever. This increasing temperature and humidity has now created a favorable environment for mosquitoes.

While the presence of mosquitoes has now started in Iceland, Antarctica is still the only continent in the world where mosquitoes do not exist. The reason for this is the extreme cold there, which always keeps water frozen in the form of ice. Neither the eggs can hatch, nor the larvae can survive. That means Antarctica is still completely free from mosquitoes.