The Living Buffet: A British company is looking for volunteers who can stand in a swarm of mosquitoes for 8 hours | Science and the planet

The test is taking place in the Scottish district of Menard of Inveraray, Argyll. This area is a notorious hotspot for mosquitoes the size of fruit flies, or “midges,” as they are called in English. In the summer months, they gather en masse around the Scots infantry and camp.

Volunteers are asked to smear insect repellent on one arm. There is no protection on the other arm. Kind of “all you can eat” for midges. The company wants to count the number of mosquitoes that land on the unprotected arm.

However, the APS Vital Control Unit says the volunteers did not sting badly. says d. Allison Blackwell v BBC. “Once the rock bottom hits, a staff member will take it off.” Candidates also get a mosquito net over their heads.

According to Blackwell, there is a lot of interest in the positions. “But that’s probably because we’re paying people,” she said. Participants receive a volunteer allowance of 100 Egyptian pounds (about 116 euros).

Last week, 34-year-old wildlife photographer James Roddy posted a video to Instagram showing himself being attacked by a swarm of midges. He told the BBC that he would not personally participate in such a test “but that’s because I’ve been working with midges for a good part of my working life anyway”.