Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

• Since time immemorial, mosquitoes have been geographically restricted due to cold temperatures in Earth’s arctic regions, but climate change is pushing those boundaries.
• Iceland, the last mosquito-free country in the world, finally reported its first confirmed sighting of the mosquito species Culiseta annulata.
• The insect is well-adapted to the cold, and survives winters by hiding out in human-made structures.

Out of all creatures on Earth, mosquitoes are arguably the least lovable. Every year, roughly 700,000 people die from mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue, yellow fewer, and malaria (which claims the lion’s share of fatalities).

However, mosquitoes have one big weakness: the cold. When temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), mosquitoes become sluggish, which can impact feeding and reproduction. But as the world gradually warms due to climate change, these pesky parasites have finally been able to infiltrate one of the last places that remained mosquito-free.

In 2025, experts confirmed that Iceland has finally fallen prey to the blood-sucking menace of mosquitoes. Insect enthusiast Björn Hjaltason reported the discovery of three specimens—two female and one male—of the mosquito species Culiseta annulata on the ‘Insects in Iceland’ Facebook group. With mosquitoes finally found in Iceland, Antarctica is now the only mosquito-free landmass on Earth.

“At dusk on the evening of October 16th, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon,” said Hjaltason. Wine roping is a popular method of attracting insects (particularly moths). “I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly. It was a female.”

Days later, the Natural Science Institute of Iceland confirmed the arrival of mosquitoes, which likely made their way to the land mass likely via freight shipping. Though previous mosquitos have hitched rides on airplanes to the Nordic island, this is the first established sighting of the creatures in the wild.

Iceland’s arctic conditions are one reason why mosquitoes have failed to secure a foothold on the island, but it isn’t the only reason. The mosquito Aedes nigripes, for example, hibernates beneath ice as a pupa to survive winters in Greenland. But Icelandic winters are more variable, which can cause sudden rises in temperature that kickstart the mosquito life cycle without providing sufficient time to complete it. Culiseta annulata, however, opts to camp out in human-made structures (like outbuildings and basements) until warmer temperatures return.

And for Iceland, those warming temperatures are only increasing. Iceland experienced recorded-breaking heat in 2025, with Egilsstaðir Airport reporting a temperature of about 79.9 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) on May 15, while other parts of the country saw the mercury rise about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) higher than the typical average.

Climate change is basically rolling out the red carpet for mosquitoes to proliferate around the globe, and their newfound presence in Iceland that’s not the only news mosquitos are making. The Guardian reported that eggs of the Egyptian mosquito were found in the U.K., along with adult specimens of the Asian tiger mosquito—both of which are known to spread tropical diseases (luckily, Culiseta annulata isn’t known to be much more than a biting nuisance).

In other words, more mosquitoes are coming—whether we like them or not.