Maxforce on a Mission helps animal shelter

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—Bayer’s Maxforce on a Mission initiative has continued to grow this year, with its most recent activity taking place in Darien, Ga., where the team at Yates-Astro Termite and Pest Control treated a severe black pyramid ant (Dorymyrmex pyramicus) infestation at McIntosh County Animal Services (MCAS). The municipal animal shelter is managed by Humane Animal Resource Team (HART), a non-profit, animal welfare organization dedicated to community spay/neuter assistance and creating a humane animal control program.

“The ant infestation we unfortunately experienced was a huge problem for our animals and for our staff,” says Hannah Tostensen, co-founder of HART. “The ants were invading our parking lot, sidewalk, kennels, and the animals’ fur and their food. We knew we had to call in a professional company to help us eradicate this problem that was affecting more than 70 dogs and cats.”Gary Wise, general manager of Yates-Astro, and his team found out about HART’s ant situation and immediately knew they wanted to help Tostensen and her team at no charge. To assist them in their mission, Bayer provided Maxforce Complete Granular Insect Bait.

“This infestation was one of the worst ant problems I’ve ever seen — you could have ants crawling up your legs in just 30 seconds of standing on the property,” Wise says. “Right off the bat, I knew we were going to donate our time to HART because they provide our community with such a great service.”

After one major application of the Maxforce granules, the team at HART saw a huge improvement and was able to save quite a few animals who were severely affected by the ants.

“We felt like our staff was ready to quit because the ants truly impacted our morale, made it harder for us to work and deterred people from visiting the shelter,” says Jennifer Wrenn, MCAS director. “We are so grateful for Yates-Astro donating their services and for Bayer providing the product.”

The team at Yates-Astro continually participates in volunteer efforts in which they can give back to their community.

“Having the opportunity to team up with Bayer for efforts like this means a lot to us,” Wise says. “And when you can stand behind a product that works well, we feel like we truly made a difference.”