When the root of a host plant contacts or grows near the cyst, and soil moisture is sufficient, root exudates stimulate juveniles to hatch and emerge from the cyst. Juveniles are attracted and migrate to the fibrous roots, infecting near the root tips. Adult males emerge from the root, enter the soil and are attracted to the females, where fertilization occurs. An average of 200 eggs are produced by one female, a few of which are laid outside the body in the soil. The majority of the eggs remain inside the female.
Cysts are barely visible with the naked eye.
The cycle requires four to six weeks, depending on soil temperature. Three cycles have been reported to occur during the growing season in western Nebraska. Annual rate of decline of egg and juvenile populations in soil during rotation usually ranges from 40-60 percent. They survive even longer in fallowed soil. Higher numbers are found in shorter rotations.