MIRI: Sand flies, or Phychodidae (or Agas), are extremely annoying, and their stinging bites can turn into painful sores.
Here, its presence is common and can be easily spotted on most of the beaches along the coast.
Sand flies are tiny insects, and they live in various habitats. The most common place that they seem to enjoy very much is on the beaches.
They also love any damp dirt or mud around creeks and river mouths. And they are most likely to come out around dawn and dusk.
For the record, Miri boasts seven stunning beaches that run down its coastline, beginning in the south and ending in the north, including Tusan Beach, Beraya Beach, Bakam Beach, Luak Esplanade, Jalan Caladium Beach, Lutong Beach, and Marina Beach.
Miri mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang recently voiced his concern over the situation.
He was quoted as saying that beaches in Miri have sand fly problems.
Sand flies, in his opinion, would deter people from going to Miri’s beaches.
During a brief visit to one of the beaches here, beachgoers shared some of their experiences with sand flies.
“It’s really annoying and would ruin your visits; I sat on the sand for about 15 minutes and came off with 40 bites,” said Wiyvy Kartina Ibrahim, 38.
Aling Liong echoed a similar experience.
“I noticed some red rash spots on my back, and this happened within seconds right after I went to one of the beaches here,” said the 37-year-old woman.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old trader Sani Ahmad, stated that most of the beaches in Miri are full of sand flies.
“As one of the vendors here, it’s kind of devastating to see people being bitten by sand flies while walking at the beach,” he said.
He sincerely hopes that the local government will establish a proactive approach to address the sand fly issue.
“As local sellers, we want people to keep coming here and enjoying our beautiful beaches rather than being bitten by sand flies,” he pointed out.
