 
| Bulborb Larva | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | Pikmin 2 |
| Scientific name | Oculus bambinii |
| Family | Grub-dog |
| Areas | None |
| Caves | Frontier Cavern, Hole of Heroes |
| Challenge Mode stages | None |
| 2-Player Battle stages | None |
| Attacks | Eats Pikmin |
Bulborb Larva are legless enemies in Pikmin 2 . They are the true juvenile grub-dogs, as Dwarf Bulborbs are members of the Breadbug Family imitating bulborbs. Although they have not yet grown their own teeth like a mature Bulborb, they are hard to kill in swarms, but have low health. Bulborb Larva are famous for their ability to quickly kill Pikmin, as the creature's bite is fast and fatal. However, the small creatures can be destroyed with one punch from a captain, so it is considered more effective to keep Pikmin away from the Larva and attack with Olimar and his copilot.
Bulborb Larva are continuously born from Empress Bulblaxes on Sublevel 8 of the Frontier Cavern, Sublevel 11 of the Hole of Heroes, and Sublevel 4 of the Emperor's Realm in Challenge Mode. Only a certain amount can be born, though this number is large, and if enough of them are destroyed, the Empress Bulblax may wake up and start giving birth again. In the rear of a Bulborb Larva, the umbilical cord (the cord that connected it to its mother before it was born) can be seen.
“{{notes:enemy/{{{2}}}|block=y}}”
Killing Strategies
Pikmin
The best way to kill a Larva with Pikmin is to use Purple Pikmin. Purple Pikmin are capable of stunning and even killing a large group of Bulborb Larva, just a couple well aimed purples can kill a group, but, due to their infamy as one-hit killers, attacking them with a Captain is recommended over Pikmin, even purples.
A different strategy is to stun them with about three or four Purples. Then call them back and throw a lot of Pikmin on the Mother. If done quickly enough, she will roll over her larva killing them.
It is not recommended to use yellow pikmin to defeat bulborb larvae due to yellow pikmin's high trajectory when thrown; the pikmin may miss the enemy and it may be too late to whistle the pikmin back. Red and blue Pikmin may also be an unwise choice due to lower speed. White Pikmin are a better choice for speed.
Captains
A single punch from a Captain is sufficient to kill a Bulborb Larva. Caution is advised, though, as they may still sneak in a bite as they are dying. The Rocket Fist, found in the same cave as the first encounter with the larva, can be used to kill many larva at once due to its range increase on the third strike.
A tactic that can be used in the later Empress Bulblax battles is to allow several dozen Larva to be born, then attack the Empress so it can roll around the cavern. As this happens, almost every single Larva will be killed, releasing a number of pools of Nectar for the Pikmin. In the second battle inside the Frontier Cavern, the larva can be trapped in a ledge where the Research Pod is by baiting them, and after the Empress is dead, a captain can go down and defeat all of the larvae (But be careful it is possible for a Bulborb Larva for some reason to get to the top of the cliff and start munching on the captain or pikmin that are baiting them), resulting in many nectar pools. One strategy in killling the Empress, is to have one captain, hopefully one that has full health, distract her larva near her rear end while the other captain attacks her from the front.
Another suggested thing is let her make tons and tons of Bulborb Larva, lead them into a corner, and keep punching them one by one to have infinate Nectar! Do this with a Captain with full health.
Gallery
- Bulborblarva.jpg
Artwork of two Bulborb larvae.
- 117.jpg
Another concept art with 4 Bulborb Larvae.