The beetles overwinter under surface debris in beds or nearby protected areas. Weevils become active in the spring about the time flower buds open. Eggs are deposited in holes eaten in the crown and hatch in about a week. The yellow to pinkish, legless grubs feed in the crown, transform to the pupal stage in their burrows in late summer, and emerge as adults in the fall. The new adults feed on the leaves prior to moving to overwintering sites.
Adults injure plants by chewing holes for depositing eggs in crowns and in the bases of leaf stems.
Leaf feeding is insignificant except when high populations of weevils are present in newly planted beds. Larvae boring in the crowns cause weakened, stunted plants and, if numerous, may even kill plants. As adults do not fly, barriers can be effective. This barrier must be maintained regularly to ensure the presence of a clean, sticky surface and to prevent bridging of the barrier by plants or debris. If a bed becomes infested, destruction of the bed after the last picking and then rotation to a new area at least 300 feet away will reduce the problem for a time.