Iceland has recorded mosquitoes within its borders for the first time in history

Question

For the first time in recorded history, Iceland has confirmed the presence of mosquitoes within its borders. The discovery was made by insect enthusiast Björn Hjaltason, who captured three specimens on a farm in Kjós, just north of Reykjavík. After turning them over to the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, the insects were identified as Culiseta annulata — a species known to survive in colder European climates.

The institute stated that the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and may now be capable of surviving Iceland’s warming climate. This development reflects the broader environmental impact of global warming and increased international trade, which have introduced new insect species to Iceland in recent years. Although these mosquitoes are known to bite, the institute confirmed that Culiseta annulata does not transmit diseases in the regions where it’s typically found.

Until now, Iceland was considered mosquito-free, largely due to its cool and stable climate. With this finding, Antarctica remains the only continent without mosquitoes. The discovery highlights how climate change is rapidly altering ecosystems, even in the world’s coldest regions.

Answer 1

In investigating the claim that Iceland has recorded mosquitoes for the first time, I found that the information is accurate and verified by multiple reliable sources, including NPR, RUV (Iceland’s national broadcaster), and the Natural Science Institute of Iceland. These organizations confirmed the capture and identification of three mosquitoes of the Culiseta annulata species in October 2025.

For primary sources, I reviewed the statement released by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, which verified the mosquito specimens and explained how they might survive the country’s climate. RUV also aired an interview with Björn Hjaltason, the man who caught the mosquitoes, where he described finding the first specimen at dusk on October 16th. These firsthand accounts confirm the discovery directly.

For secondary sources, NPR published an article summarizing the event and contextualizing it within the larger trend of global warming and species migration. Other outlets, including Reuters and Iceland Monitor, echoed these findings, citing the same official confirmations.

Potential biases are minimal, as the reports come from reputable scientific and news institutions. However, climate-related discussions may emphasize the role of global warming, which could influence how the story is framed. The evidence supporting the claim includes physical specimens collected, verified scientific testing, and multiple media confirmations. No evidence undermines the claim, as all sources report the same verified discovery.

Attempts to contact the Natural Science Institute of Iceland for additional comment were noted by RUV, which stated the institute had no further updates beyond the official report.

Answer 2

This claim is true, the main source this claim comes from, a NPR article, claimed that "This week, Iceland recorded the presence of the insects within its borders for the first time in the Nordic nation's history. The institute noted that the mosquitoes were one of a number of new insect species discovered in Iceland in recent years due to a warming climate and the growth of international transportation." And not only is NPR a trustworthy source that repported on this, but other news outlets such as the guardian and BBC reported the same information as well. In the guardian article it is said that, "Mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time as global heating makes the country more hospitable for insects." And the BBC article states that, "Mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time after the country experienced record-breaking heat this spring." Since NPR, The Guardian and BBC are all trusted news outlets and all reported the same information claiming that mosquitos have appeared in Iceland for the first time in years, I conclude that this claim is true.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/21/mosquitoes-found-iceland-first-time-climate-crisis-warms-country

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyz3vv62pgo

Answer 3

After doing my own research I found it to be true that Iceland has now recorded its first-ever mosquitoes. These mosquitoes were species of Culiseta annulata, of which were discovered by a man whose name is Björn Hjaltason in Kjós, near Reykjavík at dusk on the evening of October 16th. Hjaltason trapped one female and two males. It is also accurate that the Natural Science Institute of Iceland gave its own confirmation of these mosquitoes on Monday. Up until this October both Iceland and Antarctica were the only places in the world without mosquitoes because of their intense and extreme winters. It seems to be with general agreement that these mosquitoes arrived in Iceland by freight and were not in fact born there. They were instead simply able to survive the intense cold climate found in Iceland.

With Iceland's new discovery, Antarctica is now the last place on Earth where mosquitoes cannot inhabit the land. The cause of this seems to be climate change, the rising temperatures in the world. As seen in the NPR linked article it is stated that the Arctic region is warming up at double the rate of the average seen globally. 

NPR article on the discovery: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/22/nx-s1-5582748/iceland-mosquitoes-first-time

Confirmation from the Natural Science Institute of Iceland on the findings of mosquitoes in Iceland: https://www.natt.is/is/frettir/2025/10/moskitofluga-greind-islandi-i-fyrsta-sinn?fbclid=IwY2xjawNl8N1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnZmRPc0pIcUxDNlJsQ1NmAR45foGk_3pIjIDqjMH-50hN5-i2CUAj6FsPL4hEkaWZ8lc0h1tLsyktelnTaA_aem_wlwSCjZGFcXY4q7woY7BAw

Article from CNN on the discovery, including the date (Oct. 16th) in which Björn Hjaltason found the mosquitoes: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/21/climate/iceland-mosquito-discovery

Answer 4

True. There are multiple large and reliable news websites, such as the BBC, New York Times, and CBS news, who have all published articles on this subject. The NPR article also links the articles from where it got it's information from, several of which are from Iceland.

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyz3vv62pgo
The New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/world/europe/iceland-mosquito-discovery.html
CBS News Article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mosquitoes-iceland-first-time-reykjavik-climate/

Answer 5

NPR released an article talking about how mosquitoes were seen for the first time in Iceland. This is a very eye-catching statement, but is it true?

One of NPR's opening statements was about how this is the first time in the Nordic State's history, mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland. Bjorne Hijaltason claims to have found these mosquitoes through an experiment where he determined there was a local existence of male and female mosquitoes. It’s confirmed by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and appeared to be able to withstand Iceland's climate.”

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/22/nx-s1-5582748/iceland-mosquitoes-first-time

After discovering this information through NPR, I decided to check if any other major news sources had covered this discovery. I was then met with many sources such as BBC, The Guardian, ABC, and more, that agreed with the same information I received through NPR. Each of the news sources told the same story of how Hijaltason did his study to find out that they were mosquitoes.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/mosquitoes-found-iceland-1st-time-temperatures-region-rise/story?id=126716295

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/21/mosquitoes-found-iceland-first-time-climate-crisis-warms-country

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyz3vv62pgo

The only other question needed to be answered to support this claim as true was, is Hijaltason is who he says he is? After a quick Google search, I found that he is a bug collector/enthusiast, not a scientist. If he were a scientist, he would have something to gain from falsely forging this statement through praise or promotion of his discovery resume.

https://www.greenmatters.com/pn/climate-scientists-are-ringing-alarm-bells-after-spotting-the-first-ever-mosquito-in-iceland

This information was covered and confirmed by many credible news sources, Iceland’s Natural Science Institute, and no foul play in the original person claiming the information. We can come to the conclusion that this statement is TRUE.

Answer 6

The claim that the mosquitoes are invading Iceland are actually true due the many sources that can claim what has been done and how they have proved it. "Hjaltason sent the mosquitoes to Matthías Alfreðsson, an insect specialist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, who confirmed they belonged to the species Culiseta annulata, a type of mosquito that is commonly found in Northern Europe. It remains to be seen if the insects will survive the winter and take root in Iceland" (https://e360.yale.edu/digest/iceland-mosquitoes). This proves by e360 Yale that mosquitoes have infiltrated Iceland and are expanding due to the climate conflict that Iceland is facing and the increase heat surge that will warm Iceland into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

The BBC also introduced an article that had numerous facts about the rising climate and the new discoveries of the mosquitoes that are entering Iceland. "Iceland was one of only two mosquito-free havens in the world prior to the discovery, partly due to its cold climate. The only other recorded mosquito-free zone is Antarctica" (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyz3vv62pgo). The BBC produced lots of information as well about how the mosquitoes were found and the climate that these species can produce in. This marks an official fact that these creatures have entered Iceland and marked a new chapter in the countries fight against climate change. 

Answer 7

I found this claim to be true. A multitude of sources, including NPR, BBC, and Iceland Monitor, have all reported that this past month (October 2025), mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time. An Icelandic man was in his garden when he spotted an insect that he had never seen before. He captured it and posted a picture on a local Facebook page, Skordýr á Íslandi , which translates to "Insects in Iceland". Multiple people on that page confirmed that the man had, in fact, found mosquitoes. The man who made this discovery then sent three of the captured insects to be identified by Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, who also confirmed the identity of the insects. However, people are unsure of how the mosquitoes got to Iceland in the first place, and if they are capable of surviving the winter.

Answer 8

On October 16th, Bjorn Hjaltson a bug enthusiast who lives on a farm in Kjos, discovered the first ever sighting of mosquitoes in Iceland. He caught a total of three mosquitoes and sent them to be analyzed by the Icelandic Institute of Natural history. they were confirmed to be 2 female and 1 male of the species Culiseta annulata. they believe that the reason that the mosquitoes were able to survive in Iceland was due to global warming increasing the temperatures making it more survivable. The exact way they arrived in Iceland is unknown but they were suspected to have arrived via freight boat. The personal statement from Bjorn comes from a post on Facebook describing his experience finding them saying, "At dusk on the evening of October 16th, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon. I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly, it was female" Due to this discovery Antartica is believed to be the last place on earth without mosquitoes.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/22/nx-s1-5582748/iceland-mosquitoes-first-time

Natural Science Institute of Iceland statement:

https://www.natt.is/is/frettir/2025/10/moskitofluga-greind-islandi-i-fyrsta-sinn?fbclid=IwY2xjawNl8N1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnZmRPc0pIcUxDNlJsQ1NmAR45foGk_3pIjIDqjMH-50hN5-i2CUAj6FsPL4hEkaWZ8lc0h1tLsyktelnTaA_aem_wlwSCjZGFcXY4q7woY7BAw

Bjorn Hjaltson Facebook Post:

https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2025-10-20-moskitoflugur-komnar-til-islands-456599

Answer 9

While the title is quite bold the evidence is all there. While we cant know for certain if mosquitos have ever been in Iceland, this is the first recorded time we've document such findings. After checking multiple sources including BBC article titled "Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time after record heat" we can start to piece whats going on. Iceland has been reaching record highs including its hottest day ever in may reaching 79.8 F. This allowed for mosquitos to thrive this year causing the first ever encounters in Iceland. According to the Guardian Iceland has been heating up four times faster than the rest of the northern hemisphere. If you want more information on Iceland's global warming problem check out Global Heat Health Information Network's article on Iceland.