AbstractHost–parasite coevolution may lead to patterns of local adaptation in either the host or parasite. For parasites with complex multi‐host life cycles, this coevolution may be more challenging as they must adapt to multiple geographically varying hosts. The tapewormSchistocephalus solidusexhibits some local adaptation to its second intermediate host, threespine stickleback, to which the parasite is strictly specialized. However, the tapeworm's adaptation to its first intermediate host (any of a number of copepod species) is not documented. We investigated if there was local adaptation and host specify in the tapewormSchistocephalus solidusto its copepod first intermediate hosts. We exposed copepods from five lakes in Vancouver Island (BC, Canada) to local (i.e. same lake) and foreign tapeworms in a reciprocal exposure experiment. Results indicate that the tapeworm is not locally adapted to the copepods. Instead, we observed moderate‐effect host specificity, infection rates being higher in certain copepod species than in others. Infection rates also varied among cestode populations. These results show that althoughS. solidusinfects multiple copepod genera, they are not equally competent hosts. Differences inS. solidusepidemiology among lakes is likely to be driven more by this partial specialization, than by local adaptation to first intermediate hosts.