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Adults may be found on white firs (Abies concolor (Gord and Glend)), douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga spp.), spruce (Picea spp.), and hemlocks (Tsuga spp.). Larvae and pupae will be found in the trunk/bark of these trees.

Adults are around 3.3 - 4.3mm in length (Bright 1976). The body is generally black or reddish brown. In both males and females, the second sternite is produced anteriorly (weaker in the females) and only the males have an acute tubercle on the posterior margin of the 2nd sternite (Bright 1976, LaBonte et. al. 2003).

Females will create galleries with help from the males and may lay from 57 to 260 eggs. Upon hatching, the larvae will feed on wood tissue, moving at right angles from the galleries. Developmental time of larvae will vary depending on environmental conditions. Typically, development will take a shorter time at low elevations or in warmer climates. Pupation often occurs in the bark (Bright 1976). Overwintering behavior may be carried out by both adults and larvae (Bright 1976). Depending on localities and conditions, number of generations produced in a single may vary. In extreme cases, a complete life cycle may require 2 years (Bright 1976).