In mild winters, they may continue to feed and lay eggs. There are two nymphal stages. After the larval and each nymphal stage, a resting stage occurs. Adults mate soon after emerging from the last resting stage. In warm weather, the females soon begin laying approximately 100 eggs each.
Development is rapid in hot, dry weather.
A generation requires 1 to 3 weeks to mature. One form of cultural control is the destruction of weeds around fields in the fall or early spring. This practice eliminates much of the overwintering mite population. However, avoid destroying weeds or clearing fence rows adjacent to cultivated fields during the growing season. This practice forces mites to migrate into field crops.