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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wildwood" data-source="post: 1274421" data-attributes="member: 49443">Vespula austriaca is the only UK cuckoo wasp at present, which is the cuckoo of Vespula rufa. Since the nest mentioned is almost certainly a Dolichovespula species (grey colour, small and quite exposed), unless D. adulterina (a cuckoo) has made it across from Europe, the nest has failed by other means (although nests affected by cuckoos don't really fail as such but are rather usurped/taken over by the cuckoo which replaces the resident queen, the still-present workers then raise the cuckoo queens progeny). I'd say failure is probably down to prolonged wet weather.</blockquote>