Could bats be the answer to midge menace?

THEY have long been the bane of locals and visitors to Scotland alike.

But now a report has suggested the scourge of midges could finally be solved – by bats.

The winged mammals have been hailed a source of ‘free pest control’ as they are capable of snacking on 3,000 midges a night.

Each bat can devour more than 450,000 midges during the months they are most active, between May and September.

Their acute echolocation senses allow them to catch their prey even in complete darkness.

Farmers are now being urged to switch off lights in steadings at night and put up bat boxes to help attract them to roost on their land.

It is hoped that by supporting the mammals, which are protected by law and vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems, it will help curb the millions of swarming midges that plague large parts of Scotland.

The biting insects are estimated to cost the tourism industry millions of pounds each year in lost visits. The Bats and Biodiversity report for the Farm Advisory Service has been compiled by consultant ecologist Harry Fisher.

He said: ‘Bats play a critical role as a key predator in the food chain.

‘Bats fill the niche in our skies that birds leave when night falls. Within an agricultural setting, bats act as a natural control method for pest insects on both crops and livestock. A bat can eat up to 3,000 midges in one night.’

In North America it is calculated bats are worth £18billion a year to the rural economy as they kill adult insects and reduce larvae in crops.

And in Europe, bats are often encouraged by livestock farmers as they feast on blood-sucking insects attracted to cattle.

Mr Fisher added: ‘For bats to thrive they need adequate roosting, foraging habitat and landscape features like hedgerows and watercourses to help them commute between roosting and feeding locations.’