REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — Along with Antarctica, Iceland has long been one of the few places on earth without a mosquito population. Thus, three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes — two females and one male — recently collected by researchers from wine ropes around 30 kilometers north of the capital Reykjavik became the first record of the insects occurring in the natural environment in the Scandinavian country.

Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, said the mosquitoes might have been introduced via ships or containers. He doubts that warming climate offered the mosquitoes survival in Iceland’s challenging environment, but rather the species were well adapted to colder climates.

Iceland’s frequent freeze–thaw weather cycles prevents mosquitoes from reproducing. Its summer warmth is too short and inconsistent for larvas to complete breeding cycle before cold returns, according to Biology Insights.