Clean air brings tiny problem
CUSTOMERS and staff in smoke-free Highland pubs are complaining that midges are swarming inside to take advantage of the cleaner atmosphere.
No longer put off by the clouds of tobacco smoke in bars, the ferocious creatures are venturing inside to feast on drinkers.
The problem has become so acute that a number of bar owners in the Highlands have decided to buy anti-midge machines to keep the midges at bay and protect customers.
Kevin Reid, the operations director of the Bosville Hotel in Portree in Skye, said: "We decided to invest in a midge machine because we were noticing swarms of them coming in. They never used to come in before. But you could literally see the thick swarms of them in the lights and they were biting the customers and staff too. "
The machines work by faking the scent and breath of an animal - the midge's usual prey - which then lures the insects in their thousands into a trap.
Nigel Saggers, co-owner of the Lochcarron Hotel in Lochcarron, said: "This is real midge country. We got a machine a week or so ago and it makes a massive difference. "
Kim Donnelly, the owner of the Claymore Restaurant in Broadford in Skye, said: "We got a machine very early on and we noticed the difference straight away. The place is completely clear of midges. And you need them up here, because they were coming in and biting everyone. You can't really have a nice meal if the midges are eating you."
Midges famously detest tobacco smoke, and even non-smokers in the Highlands and Islands will seek out the company of a smoker when the swarms are at their worst.
Midge expert Dr Alison Blackwell, of Advanced Pest Solutions, said: "Midges are put off by the smell of tobacco because the strong aroma confuses their sense of smell. Midges find their victim by smelling the carbon dioxide from their breath, and the tobacco smoke makes that hard.
"Cooking smoke from a barbecue, I'm afraid, doesn't have the same effect because they are attracted by the heat from the cooking and by hot bodies around the barbecue."
