Upon emergence, adult females can copulate, although an obligatory maturation period is required for feeding after emergence for ovarian maturation. Laboratory studies have estimated the female maturation period lasts 9–15 days. Adult males have mature spermatozoa before emergence, and feeding is necessary only to sustain their normal activity. Adults typically lay eggs on the plant they developed on during immature stages rather than colonizing new plants unless population density is high or the host plant is dead. However, when they do disperse, they can travel up to approximately from their host tree in a growing season in search of new hosts, although in a mark-recapture experiment about 98% of adults were recaptured within of their release point. Adults will typically infest the crown and main branches first and will begin to infest the trunk as the crown dies. Adult longevity and fecundity are influenced by conditions such as the larval host plant and temperature. Laboratory reared males and females can live up to 202 and 158 days, respectively.
