In its native range in Europe and Asia, the principal hosts of the BSLB are conifers, in particular Norway spruce. In this environment this insect is not considered to be a pest of economic importance as it attacks trees that are already stressed by other factors. Considering this, little research has been conducted on this species in those areas where it occurs. In the HRM the BSLB is attacking live, healthy red, white and Norway spruce in substantial numbers, which indicates that it is acting differently with new hosts in its new environment. In the Point Pleasant Park infestation, it appears that healthy spruce trees die three years after the initial attack.
Beetles appear to re-infest the same host until it dies.
This suggests that the BSLB will show much more potential for outbreak in Canada than it has demonstrated in its native habitat. Because this pest is known to occur on other species of hardwood and softwood in its native range it is quite plastic in its host requirements and may therefore be able to become a pest on other tree species in Canada. The geographic range of the species in Europe and Asia indicates that the BSLB is cold hardy and its Canadian distribution will not be limited by the winter temperatures which characterize the general distribution of spruce in North America. No clear and direct evidence of flight range of the BSLB has been reported in its native range. In Canada this insect has not been found to have moved more than several kilometres from its point of origin at Point Pleasant Park.