The adults mate on a suitable substrate in daylight. Male swarming behavior that is a prerequisite for mating in many species of the Chironomidae was not observed in this species. Shortly after mating, the female oviposits on the surface of the water. The female inserts the tip of her abdomen beneath the water surface where she deposits a single ribbon-like egg mass surrounded by a gelatinous matrix and dies soon afterwards. The egg stage lasts 36 to 48 hours.
Larval hatching is synchronous.
The neonates are very active but remain inside the tubular gelatinous matrix for several hours, crawling from one end to the other. Eventually, they exit the gelatinous matrix from one of its ends, or occasionally from the middle. The larvae at this stage of their development are free-swimming and vulnerable to predation. However, their translucent color and small size may afford them some protection until they can enter a shoot tip. As they develop to maturity, their feeding activity creates a 1 to 2 cm tunnel inside the stems which eventually kills the shoot tips and induces their abscission.