The pupal stage lasts a week or longer depending on the season. Pupae cannot withstand long periods of cold weather. Corn, sorghum and other grass family members, including turfgrass are the preferred foods. They may also feed on alfalfa, beans, peanut, potato, turnip, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, cotton, tobacco, and clover. In the spring moths start migrating north into Georgia.
Infestations appear from mid-summer to early fall.
The adult female lays 50 to several hundred eggs in masses covered with scales. After two to three days the eggs hatch into larvae that feed for two to three weeks. Then pupate in the soil. The larvae feed at night and their presence may go unnoticed until considerable damage has occurred. Very young larvae feeding on the surface tissue will create a windowpane like appearance on the plant tissue.