The spruce bark beetle is considered the most aggressive and dangerous pest for spruce stands in Latvia, capable of infesting not only weakened spruce trees but also perfectly healthy ones.

It is the most dangerous pest in mature spruce stands, not just in Latvia, but across the whole of Eurasia. Spruce stands aged 50 years and older are considered high-risk, as thicker trees are more suitable for the development of the bark beetle. Most often, the bark beetle population increases significantly following windthrow; however, it can also infest spruce stands that have been weakened in other ways, for example, if the trees have been rocked by the wind, their roots have been flooded for a long period, or the trees have suffered from prolonged drought. (...)
https://www.zemeunvalsts.lv/palielinas-eglu-astonzobu-mizgrauzu-savairosanas-risks-ko-darit-un-ko-nedarit-meza-ipasniekam-
Photograph by Agnis Šmits used