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Friday, August 11, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 32
Town honors lifeguard for 50 years of service
New Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino recently honored TOBAY Beach Lifeguard John McGovern for an incredible 50 years of dedicated service to the residents of the Town of Oyster Bay. Since joining the Town of Oyster Bay as a Seasonal Lifeguard in 1967, John McGovern’s diligence and attention to detail, as well as his hard work and professionalism, earned him the enduring respect and admiration of his peers. “John has dedicated the last five decades of his life to protecting the lives of swimmers and beach enthusiasts at TOBAY Beach and we are very proud to celebrate this incredible milestone,” Supervisor Saladino said. “His love for the job and his dedication to service are typical of the men and women who
so ably serve as Town of Oyster Bay Lifeguards.” As a physical education teacher working in the Massapequa school district, McGovern felt lifeguarding was the perfect summer job. Initially John provided swim lessons at Florence Avenue Beach in the morning and then travelled to Tobay Beach to work as a lifeguard on the bayside in the afternoon. By 1975, John was a Senior Lieutenant at the ocean, joined by his wife Donna, who was a staff lifeguard. Through many years of hard work, and dedication to the beach, John became Assistant Captain in 1990 and was later joined by his son Kim, and his daughter Stacey, who were also ocean guards. As of the summer of 2013, McGovern became the See page 12
Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, right, congratulates TOBAY Beach lifeguard John McGovern, center, for 50 years of service.
Syosset beekeeper helps battle mite plague
BY GARY SIMEONE
Syosset resident, Clifford Struhl, has had an apiary at his home for eight years, so he knows the ins and outs of beekeeping. Struhl, has a special weapon to battle the recent plague of Varroa mites that have been infesting bee colonies worldwide The Ultimate Robbing Screen, which Struhl helped to develop, has more features and costs less than traditional rob-
bing screens and helps to keep the mites from traveling hive to hive and spreading illness. “I place the device on all the hives in the apiary and it helps to mitigate the transmission of mites between hives,” said Struhl. “This ensures healthy hives do not become sick hives.” Struhl, a member of the Long Island Beekeepers Club, said that the Varroa mites have become a plague to honeybees beginning in the 1980’s when they were first introduced in
this country. “They suck the bees blood and act as a vector for viruses that attack the bees,” said Struhl. “What happens then is that the colonies tend to die because of an overabundance of these mites.” He said it’s the job of the beekeeper to monitor and manage the mite population. “I’ll do a mite count to see how many are in a hive and take measures to keep the mite population down.”
Multiple treatments can be used to control the mite population including the use of harsh chemicals and organic acids to kill off the mites. Struhl said he prefers the use of organic mitocides, so the chemicals don’t build up in the hive and do damage to the resident honeybee population. He also likes to cycle through different types of mitocides so mites don’t have a chance to build up resistance. Struhl first became interest-
ed in beekeeping after a friend of his asked him to watch his swarm of bees. “At first I wasn’t to sure about the idea but I gradually came to enjoy the hobby.” He ended up hooking up with an established beekeeper on the east end who taught him the fundamentals of beekeeping. “Managing bees doesn’t require a lot of time, it’s all about the correct timing. I check the hives every week or two to See page 12
Press award given to Plainview author PAGE 12 Learning continues in Syosset in summer PAGE 17