The larvae and adults from northern Europe (e.g. Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and the Baltic states) feed and oviposit only on some willow species.

The Central European populations, which are patchily distributed in Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, northern Italy and France, are mostly monophagous on birch.

[2] In the Kola Peninsula of north-west Russia, outbreaks of Chrysomela lapponica resulted in severe defoliation of the willow species Salix borealis in August 1993 and then again in 1994 and 1995.

The larvae possess defensive glands filled with volatile compounds which deter attacking natural enemies and have antimicrobial activity.

There are also differences in the chemical composition of these defensive compounds among geographically separated populations, apparently linked to the host plant the beetles feed on.