09/12/2026
Yellowjacket wasps and other stinging insects are active across Wisconsin this late summer, and our Mount Pleasant Village parks are no exception.
Why so active? Their nests reach maximum size in late summer and early fall, and this year’s weather may have helped increase populations, according to PJ Liesch, director of the Insect Diagnostic Lab at UW-Madison’s Department of Entomology. There are more mouths to feed in the nests, so workers are out looking for food.
Mount Pleasant Parks and Recreation is already taking the following steps to deter yellowjackets and other stinging insects from parks pavilions:
• Garbage bins have been moved farther away from picnic tables.
• The bins are pressure washed regularly to remove substances that may attract them.
• Sprays that deter the insects have been applied to the bins.
