England's first host city of Volgograd has been taken over by a plague of midges on the eve of their game against Tunisia. Helicopters have been spraying insecticide over the Volgograd Arena while council workers have also been moving around the city in efforts to control the problem. 0:51 Sky Sports reporter Kavek Solhekol struggles with the swarm of flies which has invaded Volgograd ahead of England's match with Tunisia They have even begun attacking Sky Sports News reporters, with Kaveh Solhekol forced to abort filming attempts outside the England team hotel on Sunday and Geraint Hughes battling them on Monday morning. The midges' invasion is thought to be a consequence of the hot summer climate on the Volga river, which runs through the city and eventually into the Caspian Sea. Volgograd sees extreme temperatures in both directions throughout the year. The record high in the city is recorded at 41.1C while the lowest was -32.6C. Image: The Volgograd Arena, where England open their World Cup campaign against Tunisia When a breeze is blowing it is not an issue, but when the air is still they can become a problem. England could do without any distractions as they look to get their campaign started with a win. The squad have been stretching their legs on the GAFK training pitch next to the Volgograd Arena on Monday morning, which is closed off with a series of roadblocks stopping traffic from getting close. Image: The Motherland Calls statue commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad. The temperature is hot on Monday afternoon - currently around 30C - so the players are not expected to do much more than a walk around the training facilities before returning to their hotel to continue pre-match preparations.<doc-sep>Flies and mosquitos are running rampant in the Russian city of Volgograd ahead of Monday's World Cup clash between England and Tunisia. Helicopters have been deployed to spray insecticide on the Volgograd Arena, which will host four games over the course of the tournament. Volgograd – formerly Stalingrad – sits along the Volga River in the southwest part of the country. The stadium itself is right on the bank of the river, which many fear could mean the bug problem will be even worse than in other parts of the city. English press and fans have taken to Twitter to voice the seriousness of the problem. The swarms of bugs have caused some broadcasters to cancel live shots and are wreaking havoc in the city's fan zones.<doc-sep>The World Cup host city of Volgograd is being invaded by bugs. Not a summer-afternoon-picnic-by-the-lake amount of bugs, but a why-is-it-dark-outside-oh-wait-those-are-swarms-of-bugs amount of bugs. If anyone doubts that the bugs are a problem, the press who are in town to report on Monday’s match between England and Tunisia are here to show you that yes, there are lots of bugs, and yes, it’s a major issue. Flies & mosquitoes a problem in Volgograd … as experienced while trying to talk for TV. @AP_Sports England-Tunisia here tonight #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KEPvnG5Tsh — Rob Harris (@RobHarris) June 18, 2018 It feels like that Associated Press reporter was mere seconds away from his face being completely covered by bugs. BBC reporter Natalie Pirks was able to momentarily defeat the bugs, but only by spraying an intense amount of bug repellent around her head. @Natpirks 1 – Mosquitoes 0. Lets hope they don’t come out tomorrow night for the #England game #WorldCup2018 pic.twitter.com/k8uS27XZMC — Rachel Price (@NewsCamerawoman) June 17, 2018 The bugs got so bad that some reporters weren’t able to actually report. First time for everything: Just had to abort going live on Sky Sports News with seconds to spare because of invasion of flies outside England team hotel. Big problem here in Volgograd. Helicopters have been spraying insecticide over the stadium this week — Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) June 17, 2018 That’s right: The bugs in Volgograd are so terrible that helicopters have been deployed to spray bug repellent over the stadium. Story continues There’s a little bit of good news: the BBC spoke to a professor of etymology, who revealed that most of the bugs aren’t biters. Entomologist professor Adam Hart from the University of Gloucestershire believes they are non-biting midges, known as chironomidae, though he thinks there could be some mosquitoes thrown into the mix as well. “It’s a regular occurrence and just bad timing with a World Cup on”, said the insect expert Hart. “The good news is they don’t last long.” People who go outside won’t be covered in angry red welts, which is excellent for anyone who is playing in or watching the England-Tunisia match in Volgograd. But they’ll still be a nuisance — especially for the goaltenders, who will have to stand in mostly the same spot for the entire match. Volgograd is hosting four group matches during the World Cup, but the stadium is by the river, which means the bugs could be even worse there than in other areas — hence the helicopters spraying insecticide all over the venue. But even then, don’t be surprised if a player gets carried off by a swarm of bugs, or if that player ends up becoming their new bug king. Helicopters have been spraying insecticide on Volgograd Arena for days to try and reduce the swarms of bugs that have been taking over the stadium and city. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images) – – – – – – Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher. More from Yahoo Sports: • Mexico’s win over Germany might have caused seismic activity in Mexico City • Diego Maradona responds to criticism over alleged racist gesture • German newspaper: ‘Sorry Mexico. Today we build the wall.’ • OKC Thunder drop announcer who made ‘cotton-picking’ remark<doc-sep>
Swarms of mosquitoes and midges bothered England players during their World Cup tie in Volgograd on Monday evening. The players were instructed by the FA to apply high strength insect repellant liberally before the game but during the warm up Raheem Sterling could be seen swatting them away from his face. After England’s 2-1 win, captain Harry Kane said: “There were a lot more than we thought. We had a lot of bug spray on, before the game, and at half-time. I got some [flies] in the eye, nose and some in my mouth.” Fans, however, were not allowed to bring insect repellant into the Volgograd Arena because all liquids were confiscated at the gate as part of thorough security checks. “I did not feel the midges because I was so focused on the team, on the game,” Tunisia’s Nabil Maaloul said. It is understood the city of Volgograd, which is in the south west of the country, knew that the bugs – a mixture of mosquitoes and midges - would be a nuisance. Two days ago they deployed helicopters to spray the nearby marshland with pesticides. City of Volgograd officials asked the Visit Russia tourism board to include in their guide to the city the fact they had “deployed chemical weapons” to target the insects. But it was pointed out to them, in light of the Sergei Skripal poisoning in Sailsbury, that this might not be the best choice of words. It is thought that the pesticide did reduce the number of mosquitoes in the area over the weekend but they have returned with a vengeance and are wreaking havoc. Sky Sports News had to abandon a series of live interviews they had planned at the England team hotel on Sunday evening when their presenter Kaveh Solhekol was attacked by a swarm of bugs. It is thought the position of the stadium, which is directly by the river Volga around which this city is built, might mean the number of bugs is even higher during the game on Monday evening. The FA were aware of the potential issue of bugs in Volgograd having done a couple of reconnaissance visits to the city since the draw was made last December and England players are thought to be taking precautions before the game. The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. At a fan zone, where supporters gathered to watch the games on a giant cinema style screen, security procedures mean liquids are banned. But officials relaxed regulations to allow people to bring insect repellant into the area because the problem is deemed to be so serious.