It is buzzing on social media about mosquito invasion in Norway.
Just this mosquito lived in Brazil, but its relatives live in Oslo. Felipe Dana / AP / NTB scanpix
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These are some of the reactions on social media.
Although no specific mosquito measurements have been made in Oslo, many report that the blood-sucking, irritating insect that can ultimately transmit dangerous diseases is more than a long time ago.
Which mosquito?
Frode Ødegaard works at the NTNU Science Museum. He has two theories regarding the mosquito messages: the subway mosquito or one of the 39 other species in Norway.
The subway mosquito has been detected in Norway since the 1970s, but was finally confirmed this spring. It’s got its name because it overwinters in bathroom drains and tunnels.
– But if people are stabbed at home, it’s another mosquito species. In stagnant water accumulations, mosquitoes can lay their eggs. It doesn’t have to be much, there can be living areas in the backyards of old town yards, recesses on the roof or artificial ponds.
Oslo city center has not been mosquito free in the past, but asphalt and cobblestones are not the mosquito’s favorite place. But it can survive in temporary ponds (ponds) if it is raining evenly. The larval development takes about three weeks.
—Frode Ødegaard at NTNU The Science Museum believes the mosquito in Oslo may have proliferated due to favorable climate. Erlend Aas, NTB scanpix
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– It was a cold spring, so it was humid long into the summer. This is good for mosquito habitats. Maybe many of them managed to develop, and that is what we see the result of now, says Ødegaard.
– The municipality of Oslo has that goals to reopen as many of Oslo’s closed streams and rivers as possible. Could there be a reason for more mosquitoes?
– No, the mosquitoes don’t like running water. But if there is overflow or constriction, it may increase the mosquito population locally. There are knobs that like streams, says Frode Ødegaard.
– People can limit the spread of mosquitoes
Gunnar Hasle, a doctor at the travel clinic, also has the impression that there are more mosquitoes in Oslo now than in recent years.
– I don’t have any quantitative data on it, but my impression is that they are more, says Hasle, a resident of Nordstrand.
He believes that people themselves can help limit the spread of mosquitoes.
– Now there are some heavy rains, and if you put a bucket out there that is filled with water, or a wheelbarrow that becomes a water reservoir, then mosquito larvae will form. Everyone can make sure there is not too much mosquito, Hasle says.
A tin box or car tire where water can be collected are also ideal places for mosquitoes to hatch, Hasle says.
– I recommend everyone to look for places on their property where the mosquitoes can hatch, he says.
Have received several inquiries
Preben Skrede Ottesen, department director in the section for pest control at the Public Health Institute (FHI), says they have received several inquiries from the media, but also from residents especially at Grünerløkka about mosquito invasion in the capital.
– What we have to find out is what kind of mosquito species it is about. Is it one of the usual? Is it the subway mosquito or a new invaded species? We don’t know that yet, says Ottesen.
To determine which species it is, the mosquitoes must be caught in an insect glass and sent to Trondheim and the Norwegian Institute of Natural Research (Nina). There they have a project going on that will provide increased knowledge about mosquito species in Norway. Here, they can determine genetically the type of mosquito they are talking about.
And whether it is the subway mosquito that stands out especially in Oslo.
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