[3][4] Eumenine wasps differ from other members of the Vespidae by the presence of a single spur on the middle tibia and a cleft in the 'tarsal' claw at the distal end of the legs.

[2] Symmorphus cristatus belongs to a lineage of 'trap-nesting' solitary wasps in which adult females forage for immature insects to provision a nest,[6] usually found in a pre-existing hole in a tree or log.

[11] This 'renting' behavior may have evolved from nest-builders or nest-burrowing wasps; most species in the Eumeninae are either renters or builders, and most of these provision their nests with immature Lepidoptera (butterflies or moths) or beetles.

[10] In the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, adults can be observed on flowers feeding on nectar of plants in the Apiaceae, such as fennel (Foeniculum vulgare),Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota), cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) and swamp whiteheads (Angelica capitellata), also known as ranger's buttons.

[2] Females tend to make nests in holes that are approximately 5 mm,[9][22] and in the eastern Sierra Nevada, they are frequently found in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees or logs.