There have been reports of turpentine beetles on other pine species and spruce species. This pest is normally a secondary invader that attacks only those hosts which have been initially weakened or stressed by other agents. On Long Island it has assumed the role of a primary invader in what appear to be healthy Japanese black pines. Black turpentine beetle has also been observed to be a primary invader on Japanese black pine on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The primary feeding site is the lower 6 feet of the main trunk, but boring has been seen in buttress roots also, where there was no obvious trunk injury.
Hatching occurs in about two weeks.
The white, leg less larvae feed gregariously on the inner bark and several gallery colonies may completely girdle the tree. When the larva matures, it constructs a pupal cell between the bark and the sapwood. The pupation period, during which the larvae are transforming to adult beetles, is about 10-14 days in duration. The adults then emerge through the bark and the cycle is repeated. The length of the cycle is determined by the prevailing temperatures, and usually takes from 3 to 4 months to complete.