Once the larvae hatch, they feed just inside the bark and mine away from the pupal chamber. From egg to adult takes 21 to 40 days in summer and several months in winter. The beetles are dormant from November to March. There are two to five generations per year. Ips galleries on pinyon.
Adults are small grayish moths.
They overwinter in a small, silk cocoon on the bark. In mid- to late May, they feed by tunneling into the base of the unopened buds. They mine the pith of the terminal growth, causing more damage as they grow. Large larvae move on to new tissue, cones or shoots. Pupation occurs inside the terminals and cones.