LPTB overwinters in galleries under the tree bark as a larva in various stages of development ranging from young to nearly full-grown. In the spring, larvae resume feeding and complete their development beneath a thin layer of the bark surface from pink to shuck-fall. Following construction of a cocoon the larva changes to the pupal stage. In 3 to 4 weeks the pupa pushes through the cocoon and the thin bark surface, the pupal case splits open, and the moth emerges. A second generation occurs from July through September.
Moths are active during the day, with mating and oviposition occurring soon after emergence.
Female moths are attracted to damaged and previously infested trees and deposit eggs in cracks or under bark scales of wounded sites. Eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days and larvae burrow, feed and develop in the inner bark and cambium tissue for 40 to 60 days. Infestation is almost always associated with previously damaged trees. The problem tends to be more severe in older orchards that have a greater incidence of Cytospora canker, winter injury, and pruning and other mechanical wounds. Older wounds appear dark due to the exudation of gum which oxidizes.