Large populations of this pest can seriously injure the tree, and even small populations may attack and cull high percentages of the fruit. This scale overwinters on the tree in an immature stage, surviving in higher numbers after relatively mild winters. They complete their development in the early Spring. They are most vulnerable to control measures during this maturation period. Winged males emerge from under their waxy scale and mate with the females, which remain under their protective covering.
Males live only a few days, and are attracted to the female by a pheromone.
These crawlers disperse onto the twigs and fruit during June and July. These settle, develop a waxy scale cover, and feed by sucking sap from the tree. These mature, and produce a second generation of crawlers, often in much higher numbers than the first generation, during August through October. These scale often move onto the fruit. One scale can cause a fruit to be discarded during the packing process, and presence of scale is often considered a quarantine violation in international trade.