Mosquitoes Discovered in Iceland for the First Time
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The discovery of mosquitoes in Iceland for the first time sparks discussion on climate change, invasive species, and the potential consequences of a warming climate, with commenters sharing their own experiences and concerns.
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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioresistance
TL;DR: Eggs and glycerol.
It is remarkable this is the first time mosquitos have been found in the wild in Iceland though. Even if they died out in the winter, you would expect some to hide in shipping containers and lay eggs all summer. Which is how we got Tiger Mosquitos in New Jersey, and now it doesn't get cold enough to kill them and it is so much worse than it used to be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes_albopictus
What did you think the city would do about it?
They typically survive the winter in egg form.
But now when it's a bit warmer, the same amount arrives but more survive.
On an entire ship? Probably hundreds of dozens.
after long journey we arrived into the camp. we wondered why we were the only ones there, so we got out of the car and there they were. a lot of them. that was the fastest i ever built a tent and we jumped in it and called it an early night :)
[0] https://matduggan.com/greenland-is-a-beautiful-nightmare/
https://www.icelandreview.com/news/iceland-marks-ten-years-o...
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxorhynchites_rutilus
Which isn't quite where Alaska is located.
Maybe they were thinking of this one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culiseta_alaskaensis
This one had a large size and was a blood sucker, but wrong side of the continent again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psorophora_ciliata
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_fly [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopogonidae
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4809994/ (human cases in the US - but is primarily in animals)
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/bloodborne-organisms-... (birds only, but still north american disease)
There's also an allergic reaction apparently due to large numbers of bites called simuliotoxicosis / black fly fever.
There's also this mysterious one in europe. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7920075/
Aaaand there's this site claiming possible encephalitis transmission, although I kinda feel I'd prefer a better cite than that. https://www.mosquitomagnet.com/resources/faq-black-fly-other...
what's the issue?
I don't miss that. It usually peaked and calmed down with the season, but if it was warm enough they were always around.
https://www.nature.com/articles/466432a
So that's good for the birds, and bad for the humans that want to get rid of all the pesky annoying mosquitoes, not just get rid of mosquito born disease.
In that case, not even need to exterminate any species.
That's typically done by introducing some Wolbachia in their gut.
Alon with bullsnakes, they're extremely useful for getting rid of said rodents—which CAN carry awful pathogens, like hanta virus!
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_rattlesnake
Fortunately, snakes will generally leave you alone unless they're provoked or cornered. Unfortunately, if you have curios animals (cats, dogs) it can be a much more significant problem!
But yeah, mosquitoes and cockroaches should be made extinct, even if they are tough critters.
Talking of tough though..
Say hello to the only creature that's evolved to cheat death itself: the Immortal Jellyfish. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/immortal_jellyfish
The three on my "eliminate at all costs" have always been mosquitos, fleas, and ticks.
Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes care.
He had a T-shirt, with two mosquitoes on it.
The caption was "Minnesota Air Force."
When I lived in Nigeria, they had these swarms that were so dense, they could drain you of a measurable amount of blood, in a few minutes.
My sister got caught in one. Not fun.
Calgary has a few weeks of -30C every winter, and we are not short on mosquitoes.
(Being so far from any coast, the northern canadian praries often trade turns with inner siberia for the coldest place on earth during winter. The north pole is kept "warm" by the sea.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMgIVx2kUH4
People hear "Iceland has no mosquitoes" and think that means "Iceland has no biting flys", spoiler, they do.
Has the future arrived, bit it’s not equally distributed?
From my experience (based in Turkey), mosquitoes seem to be getting more and more resilient. They have become an annoyance even in autumn, and I recall catching one last winter. A few decades ago, they used to only appear in late spring and summer. Anyone have a similar experience elsewhere?