Biting insects are not just causing village head Lee Kwai-keung to itch, they are costing him money.
Mr Lee says insects swarming from a water channel and hillside near his restaurant in Lai Chi Shan village, Tai Po, have driven away his customers.
'Customers complained to me and said they don't want to come as they are bitten. I feel so helpless.
'Once, I took a nap in the terrace of my restaurant and woke up with almost 30 bites.' Mr Lee, who grew up in a nearby village, said the midges existed when he was a boy but they were rare. 'We called them arg tsai [little bite].'
He sprays diluted bleach twice a day in his restaurant and has complained to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
'The department told me they have no method to clear them as they breed so strongly,' he said.