in other news 
Clean air brings tiny problem
MURDO MACLEOD
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."
(source: Scotsman.com
News)
