Natural World
June 24, 2022 | 0 comments
A veritable maelstrom of the infamous Scottish pests was recently captured on camera in Kinross.
While Scotland is renowned for its historic landscapes and natural beauty, one thing that most visitors don’t appreciate about hiking in the Scottish countryside is the midges – aggravating biting insects which can appear in large numbers, particularly during the summer months.
Imagine, then, ending up in the middle of a tornado of the creatures – one such as that filmed recently by Ross Cunningham who had been walking near Loch Leven in Kinross on Wednesday evening.
The footage he captured shows a swirling maelstrom of millions of midges, though thankfully this particular type are not prone to biting.
According to wildlife experts, this phenomenon is known as “lekking”.
“These are non-biting midges (Chironomidae) that hatch at the same time, producing millions of flies,” said a spokesperson for NatureScot.
“[Lekking] is a moving gathering of males to attract females from the surrounding area. This is not a rare event, but it only happens at short periods when the temperature is right for them.”
Source: BBC News | Comments (0)
