It has the remarkable behavior of ovipositing only in recently burnt incense-cedar (Calocedrus), red cedar (Thuja) or juniper (Juniperus); the wood is often still smoldering when the wasp is laying its eggs, and the larvae develop in the wood.
It is covered in mixed coniferous forest with tree species such as Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), white fir (Abies concolor), Sierra lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana), California incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), and red fir (Abies magnifica).