This page is dedicated to the things that can bite and "bug" you while mining and just being in Sierra Leone. Enjoy the videos and information  and take care when you travel there.

Here is one of the most painfull  insects that will not kill you but you think it might. We call it the "Tamba Fly" and what happens is this. If you leave your clothes on a line to dry the fly comes along and lays eggs on them. then you wear them and the fly eggs turn to maggots and bore into your skin. Of course you do not  feel this part of the deal but after a couple of weeks you have pain. If you do not take care of it the maggots grow to the size of a cigarette butt and are extremely painful to remove.

There are several ways to remove them and the one we use the most is to put a drop of palm oil on the holes and the maggots come out to breath in a few minutes and then you can pinch the skin and they will pop out. You will see your dogs there loaded with them at times and you have to remove them from the dogs.

The above way is not the only way to catch the Tamba Fly. Big fat Black mosquitos are full of maggots as you can attest to if you slap one. So watch out for any fly that lands on you.

Tamba Fly Video

 

Guinea Worm Video

This worm can cause you serious harm and even cripple you as it gets into the body by drinking water from pools that have no running water in them. The worm can come out your stomach or ankle or arm. Never drink water from a place that the water is not moving. this problem extends from Sierra Leone across the African continent to India.