For the first time, three mosquitoes were found in the country, after a local resident in Kjósarhreppur found them in his garden.
Local Björn Hjaltason found the insects in his garden and reported them to the Skordýr á Íslandi (Insects in Iceland) Facebook page.
Speaking to MBL, Hjaltason explained upon seeing the insect, “I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before.” Over the following two days, Hjaltason found another two mosquitoes, bringing the total to three.
Hjaltason captured the insects and sent them to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for identification, which confirmed that they were mosquitoes of the species Culiseta annulata.
When asked how they might have arrived in the country, Hjaltason suspected Grundartangi. “It’s only about six kilometers from me, and things often arrive with ships and containers, so it’s possible something came in that way,” noted Hjaltason.