also nests in areas with better protection, so is able to avoid predation that has affected many other Polistes species. Much of North America has a very similar ecology and habitat to that of Europe, and this has allowed a faster and more successful colonization. P. dominula was also compared to and found to be more productive than Polistes fuscatus, which is indigenous to the United States and Canada. P. dominula produces workers about a week earlier and forages earlier in the day than P. fuscatus. It is a concern for cherry and grape growers in British Columbia, as it injures the fruit by biting off the skin. It also spreads yeast and fungi that harm fruit and can be a nuisance to workers and pickers at harvest. Displacement of native species Before 1995, P. fuscatus was the only species of Polistes in Michigan. In the spring of 1995, one single founder colony of P. dominula was discovered nesting in the Polistes nestbox at the Oakland University Preserve in Rochester, Michigan. In 2002, about one-third of the P. dominula colonies at the preserve were removed because of the concern about losing the resident population of P. fuscatus. Although the removal of P. dominula population did slow down their expansion, in 2005, 62% of the colonies at the Preserve were P. dominula. A number of researchers concluded that P. dominula was likely replacing P. fuscatus through indirect or exploitative competition, which was consistent with their finding that P. dominula was significantly more productive than P. fuscatus. Genetic variations Introduced populations of P. dominula contain relatively high levels of genetic diversity and these variations are most likely due to different dispersal events. Through genetic observations of diverse regional P. dominula populations, an allelic richness and distribution of private alleles was shown in the introduced population, as well as the oldest population (Massachusetts) had the lowest level of genetic variation. Various dispersion mechanisms existed amongst the P. dominula species and its origin might not be confined to a single regional area. Furthermore, the genetics of Southern Californian population differed from those of both Eastern and Northern California, suggesting the source of the Southern Californian population may be from either an unsampled area with the introduced range or from a different geographic area from within the native range. Behaviors influenced by genetic diversity Colony founding Typically, a Polistes colony is founded by a single