Hey fam, big news from the Land of Fire and Ice! 🔥❄️ Iceland, one of the last mosquito-free spots on Earth, just spotted mosquitoes in the wild for the first time! 😱
Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, caught three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes—two females and one male—around 50 km north of Reykjavík. How? By hanging ropes soaked in warm wine and sugar 🍷+🍬➡️🧵 to lure in those sweet-toothed biters!
This discovery is a game-changer. Aside from a lone Aedes nigripes found on an airplane years ago (and sadly lost), Iceland has stayed mosquito-free—unlike our tropical monsoon lands where swarms are part of daily life! 🌧️🦟
So how did they arrive? Probably hitchhiking via ships or cargo containers. While climate change (longer summers, milder winters) can help mosquitoes spread, Culiseta annulata is already built for cold snaps, surviving freezing temps and thriving in diverse habitats.
The big question: Will these Arctic-adapted mosquitoes set up permanent camp? Researchers plan more monitoring next spring to map how far they've spread. Until then, Icelanders might need to stock up on repellent—just like we do every monsoon! 🧴🦟
This is a stark reminder: globalisation and warming climates can shake up even the most remote corners of our planet. Stay tuned as we follow this buzzing saga! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
