Want to get rid of midges? Inverness fisherman Ken Roberts might have the solution in his Smokin' Midge wee beastie deterrent
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Sick to the back teeth of midges? Well, an Inverness salmon fisherman who used to be "eaten alive" may have the answer.
Keen angler Ken Roberts (59) of Culduthel, said his Smokin' Midge business has seen him deliver thousands of his tins with a special blend of incense oil all over the UK and northern Europe.
The idea is simple, a tin where the user lights one of the supplied incense cones covered in a secret blend of essential oils, that repels the midge.
The Smokin' Midge has been the focus of Mr Roberts' lockdown, after his photography business work dried up during the pandemic.
Mr Roberts said: "I have worked on The Smokin' Midge for years after spending some very unpleasant times fishing getting bitten by the little blighters.
"I don't claim it as a miracle cure, but it certainly does help. It has no nasty chemicals.
"I tried repellents and nets and although effective in their own way, the midges would always find a gap in the armour, so to speak.
"And no method prevented the midge from swarming around my face and hair and making their way under nets.
"Thus, the creation of The Smokin’ Midge, which works by confusing the human trail of CO2 and repelling at the same time. "
Mr Roberts said that just last week when people were huddled inside a pub in Gairloch "after the midge had taken over", he and a friend lit The Smokin' Midge and sat outside and enjoyed their pint. He gave one to someone else who wanted to sit outside, and it worked for them as well.
He continued: "I have just experimented with different cones and essential oils over the years to make the blend that keeps the little midge away.
"I have a design licence and I have been approached by various outlets to stock it, but for now I am sending them all out myself. "
Mr Roberts and his wife Liz are carers for their daughter April, and during the lockdown, he has been taking the night shift while bringing together his plans for The Smoking Midge.
He said: "I've virtually had no photography appointments so it means I can stay up all night making the Smokin' Midges and keep an eye on April. This means Liz can have a deep sleep knowing I'm watching April.
"It's worked out incredibly well for us."
He said: "Some nights I am parcelling up a trolley-full of Smoking Midges, it is a lot of work, but it is very satisfying to know that they are working.
"I am sending them all over to England, as the midge is found in many parts of Cornwall and other places down south, and I am sending them as far away as Finland and Norway."
For more visit, https://www.thesmokinmidge.com/
