Buffalo Treehoppers feed on the sap of various parts of plants including the leaves, fruit, stems, vegetables and flowers. They have an appetite for diversity and are capable of causing both crop plants, garden plants and ornamentals to wilt and possibly die. For this reason, they are considered a pest.
Adults are most active in the summer and they begin to cluster together in the autumn to overwinter in debris, leaf litter or other areas that can offer some degree of insulation. Females cut a curved sliver into fresh, green stems and lay their eggs inside it or underneath leaves. The newly hatched nymphs will then drink the sap from the plant to the point the stem collapses.
Nymphs and adults have the same body appearance, though the younger nymphs may have a few pink antennae and a white powdery substance that eventually wears off. Larvae are covered in short spines that also eventually wear off.