Swarming Sheargrub

Swarming Sheargrub
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Unknown
Family	Mandiblard (assumed)
Areas	Tropical Wilds
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Beastly Cavern
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Tropical Wilds Remix
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	Jigsaw Fortress
Attacks	Weighs down objects

The Swarming Sheargrub (ブリコ^?) is a green Sheargrub with red eyes found in Pikmin 3. It, in every way excluding size and color, resembles a Female Sheargrub. Swarming Sheargrubs are known to follow Pikmin from a distance and can distract an entire squad as a result.

They move around in swarms at high speed (fastest of any known mandiblard). They have no form of offense but can move quickly, taking any attacking Pikmin with them. Once they come across any nectar, they will consume it and grow in size. They can also hide under plants, like Pikmin. Most swarms come in groups of seven.

When they spot a salvageable object – such as a fruit, pellet, Victory Macaroon, or carcass – they will jump and sit on top of it, weighing it down and thus, making it require more Pikmin to carry. The larger they are, the more they will weigh.

While they are an annoying hindrance to the player, they are easily defeated like any other type of mandiblard. However, once a single member of a swarm is harmed, the rest will disperse and run away at very high speeds. It's advised to call all Pikmin back at this point, as they will attempt to chase the fleeing Sheargrubs, only to end up getting themselves lost.

Swarming Sheargrubs will always spawn above the ground where the Lesser Mock Bottom is located.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
1	1	1	× 5  × 5	45

Strategy

The best strategy is to throw some non Winged Pikmin and you should get at least 3 of them. Wait for them to come back and get them again. In Tropical Wilds Remix, let the Shaggy Long legs kill some for you.

Notes

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“As the name implies, these fast-moving enemies travel in relatively large groups. Swarming Sheargrubs patrol established paths, jostling any Pikmin they encounter along the way. These pests often latch onto fruit while it's being transported. This essentially increases the weight of the fruit, making it more difficult for your Pikmin to carry.”

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	ujinko_a (c)
HP	45
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	1
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	0
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	1
Damage to leaders	0
Territory radius	200
Mission Mode value	5

Gallery

• ZlCfzRE4U-E0YqkAvf.jpg

  A close up of a Swarming Sheargrub.

• ZlCfzR4yzUgkUxgxD2.jpg

  Swarming Sheargrubs weighing down a fruit.

• ZlCfzR4y0a4og13R8Q.jpg

  Pikmin carrying a Velvety Dreamdrop infested with Swarming Sheargrubs.

• 

  A group of Swarming Sheargrubs in Tropical Wilds.

• 

  Swarming Sheargrubs drinking nectar, notice the size difference between them.

• Bigweight.jpeg

  Big Swarming Sheargrubs weighing down a fruit.

Trivia

• The Swarming Sheargrub is the only member of the mandiblard family without a known gender distinction, but it could be said these are females due to their resemblance to female sheargrubs. This would also explain their inability to attack.
• These are the only known enemies that can increase in size by consuming an item.
• When a Swarming Sheargrub gets on top of an object or drinks nectar, a munching sound can be heard.
• In the April 17^th, 2013 Nintendo Direct footage that revealed Winged Pikmin, Swarming Sheargrub sound effects can be heard in the Twilight River, suggesting that they were originally going to appear in that area.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
French	Boufpon grouillant	Portmanteau of bouffe (eat, grub) and pont (bridge); Swarming bridge-eater
German	Schwarm-Termitentos
Spanish (NoA)	Comején fructófilo	Fructophilic termite
Spanish (NoE)	Comején fructófilo	Fructophilic termite