Popular travel destination loses mosquito-free status after insects spotted

Another perk of Icelandic travel is that mosquitoes have never inhabited the European island - until now.

The Icelandic broadcasting network RUV announced that scientists at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History have confirmed the first mosquitoes in Iceland.

The insects were identified earlier this month by Björn Hjaltason, who reported the find in a Facebook group called "Insects in Iceland."

"At the beginning of dusk on the evening of Oct. 16, I caught sight of a strange fly on a band," Hjaltason said, referring to a band he uses to attract insects. "I immediately suspected what was going on, and the fly was quickly collected."

Hjaltason sent the specimen to the Institute of Natural History, where they were confirmed as mosquitoes - specifically the species Culiseta annulata - by entomologist Matthias Alfreðsson in Iceland.

The entomologist confirmed that this is the first time a mosquito has been on Icelandic soil, although scientists had predicted they would eventually arrive.

According to EU tourism data, Iceland's inbound tourism saw substantial growth - from 813,215 trips in 2021 to more than 3 million in 2023. Overnight stays also rose from over 3 million to over 8 million.

Iceland's unique environment includes an active volcano, natural hot springs, thousands of picturesque waterfalls and glaciers - including Vatnajökull, which takes up 8% of the country's land area.