Gardening Snitchbug

The Gardening Snitchbug is an airborne scarpanid that is beneficial to Pikmin but passive to leaders. It idly flies around its territory, occasionally stopping to rub its hands together. When Pikmin come near, however, it swoops down towards them to grab up to two of them, returning to the air afterward regardless of whether it caught any Pikmin or not. If it caught any, it flies around for a bit with its prey in claws before stopping to throw the captured Pikmin to the ground, burying them and advancing their maturity to the flower stage if it was not that stage already. The Gardening Snitchbug then keeps near these Pikmin sprouts, frequently tending to them to ensure they do not wilt and return to the leaf stage. It generally ignores leaders but will swoop down to claw them each time they step on or attempt to pluck the flower-stage Pikmin sprouts it is caring for.

The Gardening Snitchbug has a decorated appearance unique from other scarpanids. It has a beige head featuring blue eyes at its front, and on the top of its head is a pair of glossy, dark gray antennae that resemble spade trowels, which protrudes though what resembles a frayed straw hat resting on its head. Additionally, where its mouth would be is what appears to be a miniature foxtail. Its body displays unique patterns, with the main body have a red and black plaid pattern overlayed by what resembles blue denim overalls, both of which having dirt on them. Its arms also display the same plaid pattern as its main body, but its claws, which resemble three-pronged gardening forks, are the same color as its antennae.

Defeating a Gardening Snitchbug is often no difficult undertaking, but keeping one around to flower a few leaf- or bud-stage Pikmin may be useful. It can be reached by any thrown Pikmin type, although Yellow Pikmin and especially Winged Pikmin are effective because of their high reach. A Gardening Snitchbug can be forced to the ground by throwing enough Pikmin onto it, and throwing a single Purple Pikmin onto it will keep it grounded until it is shaken off.