Females search for suitable hosts, bore into bark and build egg galleries in the phloem layer.
Males follow and mate with the females, and eggs are deposited in the galleries.
The eggs hatch by August and larvae feed on the phloem layer, spending their first winter there. In the spring they resume feeding until they are ready to pupate. After pupation, young adult beetles may overwinter at their pupation site or, more commonly, move to the base of the tree. Pupae are creamy white and are shaped like adults. The larvae feed on phloem tissue beneath the bark and eventually girdle the tree, preventing food transportation from the foliage down to the roots.