Complete development from egg to adult takes about 6 weeks. However, disease transmission by these late season beetles is insignificant compared to infections caused by the spring generation of beetles. The native elm bark beetle has a similar life history but with several important exceptions. Like the European species, it may over-winter as larvae in brood wood and emerge in June and July. However, some adults may emerge in late summer and early fall and fly to healthy elms to over-winter in tunnels formed in the thick bark of the lower trunk.
Adults then fly to dying elm wood to breed.
In contrast to the European species, native females form egg galleries that run perpendicular to the grain and larvae tunnel along the grain creating a butterfly-shaped pattern. There are also significant differences in the breeding habitat preferences of these beetles. The European bark beetle occurs more frequently in elms along city streets, yards, and parks, while the native species prefers shaded habitats, especially woodlots and forested areas. When both occur on the same tree, the sunny portions of the tree are colonized by the European beetle and the shaded limbs and lower tree bole by the native beetle. Usually, the native species is displaced by the more aggressive European species.