The six-toed spruce bark beetle is very common in Swedish forests. It feeds on new branches and tops of spruce
According to an article from the Swedish Forest Agency, it does not normally harm living spruce trees, except during prolonged drought. Drought stress can make live spruce trees as easy to attack as logging residues. When drought stress is reduced, the six-toed bark beetle can no longer damage living spruce.
During the extremely hot and dry summer of 2018, the six-toed bark beetle attacked drought-stressed spruce forests. Damage to older spruces in the form of a dead 'Christmas tree' at the top of an otherwise healthy spruce could also be seen.
The six-toothed bark beetle is also common in fire-damaged spruce forests, along with the double-eyed bark beetle.
It is not possible to influence the occurrence of damage to live spruce with control measures. The only meaningful action is to prevent the risk of damage by choosing tree species that are better suited to drier soils and peatlands than spruce.
