Adults reside in field rows, roadsides, and other protected areas to overwinter. In the spring, the adults migrate out of their overwintering site as soon as adequate vegetation is available for feeding and egg deposition. Eggs are deposited on plant leaves or in the soil around the root systems of host plants. The larvae hatch and feed on the root systems of host plants. The feeding and developmental characteristics of flea beetles are not well studied.
Most species complete one or two generations during the growing season.
However, most damage to corn plants is done by the overwintering adults. This damage typically occurs during the first few weeks after the young corn plants emerge. The feeding scar will run parallel to the leaf veins and sometimes zigzags across the vein into the next vein, giving the feeding scar a jagged appearance. This feeding damage varies from that of the adult corn rootworm since they tend to eat out large areas along the margin of the leaf, leaving the epidermal layer. If bacterial wilt is introduced by the pest s feeding, an irregular lesion can be seen beginning at one end of the flea beetle s feeding scar.