As the soil temperatures warm in the spring they move up to the grass roots, feed for a short time, pupate, and emerge as adults to begin a new cycle. Feeding in the spring is not as destructive as it is in the fall and only rarely requires an insecticidal treatment. Phyllophaga grubs require three years to complete their life cycle. Adults are active in the spring, usually from late May until early July. Eggs are deposited by adults in the soil and hatch in a few days.
Small grubs feed during the first summer, moving down in the soil to overwinter.
The second summer they feed vigorously, causing severe damage, then move down in the soil profile to overwinter the second winter. They complete feeding the third year, overwinter as adults and emerge the following spring to complete the life cycle. The black turfgrass ataenius is closely related to the annual and three-year grubs, but adults and larvae are much smaller. Most species in the group to which this pest belongs are dung feeders. Damage by this insect in Nebraska has primarily occurred in golf courses.