A. glabripennis has proliferated on these susceptible hosts, becoming a common pest in many parts of China, also attacking a range of other hardwood hosts, especially Salix spp. These hosts appear to be mainly fruit, ornamental and amenity trees. Since the 1980s, hybrids resistant to the pest have been used for new plantations of poplar, and there has been a corresponding decline in the importance of A. glabripennis. There is no indication that A. glabripennis is a pest of natural forests in China. The boring larvae damage the phloem and xylem vessels, resulting in heavy sap flow from wounds which are then liable to attack by secondary pests and infection.
Infested trees lose turgor pressure, and leaves become yellow and droop.
Structural weakening of trees by the larvae in urban regions poses a danger to pedestrians and vehicles from falling branches. The adults can also cause damage by feeding on leaves, petioles and bark. Damage to the fruiting shoots of fruit trees results in particular economic loss. In the USA, control measures aim to contain and eradicate the outbreaks in urban areas. However, the cryptic life style and tendency of the beetle to lay small numbers of eggs on several trees combine to make it difficult to define the limits of the outbreak and thus eradicate the beetle without destroying large numbers of trees.