There Are No Mosquitoes in Iceland, the Only One Has Been Soaked

If you visit Iceland, you will not meet any mosquitoes. This small Nordic country claims that it has no mosquitoes, the only mosquito here has been soaked in alcohol and exhibited in the National Natural History Institute.

Key Facts About Mosquitoes

Even this mosquito is not the true 'citizen' of Iceland. It went 'traveling' to this island nation on a flight in 1980 and was captured by a scientist. Biologist Gisli Mar Gislason of the University of Iceland said he had to chase the mosquito around the cabin until he caught it and that was the only mosquito he had ever found in this country.

Illustration.

The reason why this country does not have mosquitoes.

Why Mosquitoes Matters

In Iceland, mosquitoes have no place to breed. The ecosystem in this country has 3 main cycles of defrosting and thawing. When summer comes, the temperature warms up, melting ice is when mosquitoes lay eggs in shallow ponds. But because these cycles are continuous and very short, the mosquito larvae have not yet matured, the cold weather causes the ponds to freeze and freeze them.

The National Institute of Natural History Iceland, the only mosquitoes to capture in this island nation.

But in the face of global climate change, the planet heats up, scientists are worried that cold weather may not be able to hinder mosquito breeding. So mosquitoes can invade Iceland in the future.

Apart from Iceland, the regions of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Seychelles in the South Pacific do not currently have mosquitoes.