If you are among those who, theIceland It could become your next dream destination. In this country in Northern Europe, in fact, The mosquitoes are not there. It almost looks like an metropolitan legend, and instead it’s all true: No night humno itching, no battle armed with a ciabatta to eliminate them from the bedroom.
Many will think that it is thanks to the Freddo. And in part it is so, but the explanation is more complex. Iceland has a oceanic climate characterized by long winters And Short and fresh summers. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 15 degreesand this makes it difficult to Survival of mosquito larvaewho cannot complete theirs life cycle.
In addition, mosquitoes to reproduce need to stagnant waterwhere to lay the eggs. In Iceland, despite the presence of lakes, the volcanic land and the chemical composition of water they could make them unsuitable for proliferation of these insects. Added to this is the fact that the dissolution of the ice takes place in a single annual phase and very quickly, preventing the larvae from finding a stable habitat.
Climate change threaten this “paradise”
The only specimen of “Icelandic” mosquito is found preserved in a jar to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. Was captured in the 80s by Gisli Mar Gislasonbiologist of the University of Iceland, within a plane from Greenland. The insect was not originally from the island, but accidentally arrived on board.
The future, however, could change. Due to the global warmingthe average temperature in Iceland is increased by about 2 degrees in the last 20 years. This allowed the arrival of New species of insectsabout 200 in total, which before they could not survive in those conditions. Mosquitoes, so far excluded, they could one day make their appearance.
For the moment, however, Iceland remains The only country in the world really free from mosquitoes. A small paradise for travelers who want to enjoy the wild naturei volcanic landscapes and the Nights of summer without having to fight with annoying bites. As long as it lasts, it is worth taking advantage of it!
