Bumbling Snitchbug

The Bumbling Snitchbug is a creature found in Pikmin 2. It closely resembles the Swooping Snitchbug in appearance, though possesses more body mass, makes a different buzzing sound, and does not have as distinct a head. The two also behave similarly towards small grounded creatures, but instead of targeting Pikmin specifically, this lumbering bug prefers to attack leaders, snatching them and tossing them to the ground. Leaders that the enemy has managed to take hold of will dismiss their army, but are able to struggle to free themselves if is twirled. Alternately, one could have the second leader throw Yellow Pikmin to combat the kidnapping Snitchbug.

Weighing the beast down will cause it to crash into the ground, where it is easily overwhelmed by the player's Pikmin forces. When carrying a leader, the Bumbling Snitchbug flies higher than usual. The creature is only harmful in areas with many enemies, where one might catch the player off guard, allowing for the disbanded Pikmin to be eaten. This, however, can easily be prevented by switching to the other leader and calling the Pikmin to resume battle. If the Snitchbug manages to capture both leaders, then the player is in a tough spot, and must break free quickly, or have idle Pikmin suffer.

Behavior
The Bumbling Snitchbug is always found deep within caves. It behaves similarly to the Swooping Snitchbug in its movements, hovering a considerable distance above the ground, and flying over a relatively large area when left undisturbed. When approached, its one method of attack is to swoop down and snatch the approaching leader(s), in turn disbanding any Pikmin they had with them. It will carry its prize around for a while before throwing it harshly to the ground, briefly stunning the leader. The leader can, however, escape early.

When attacked, the Bumbling Snitchbug falls straight to the ground and proceeds to flail on its back until it can lift itself up again. At this point, the creature is completely vulnerable to more attacks. If only a few Pikmin are on the creature as it flies, it will not be taken to the ground, but rather it will defend itself with a quick shake.

Strategy
On its own, the Bumbling Snitchbug poses no real threat. Just avoid its occasional swoop and then proceed to toss yellow Pikmin onto it in order to ground it where you can defeat it quickly by swarming with a large army. If no yellows are available, any other kind of Pikmin will work, however you must wait for the creature to lower itself or swoop down to ground entirely before attacking.

The Bumbling Snichbug becomes a pest when it is found with other dangerous creatures. If it is able to capture one of your leaders, all the Pikmin following him will be disbanded and made very vulnerable to attacks from the enemies that can actually kill. The simplest strategy is to just stay moving as you fight the other creatures; just avoiding the Snitchbug's attacks will allow for you to fight the other creatures, eliminating all real danger, and then you can proceed to safely take out the Snitchbug. Trying specifically to avoid its attacks, however, may place you in some bad positions, especially in tighter caves, so this strategy can be dangerous and requires skill. A safer but more time-consuming strategy is to lure the Snitchbug away from the crowd (this is usually easy considering it will stalk its target for a considerable distance before giving up) and take it out when it poses no threat, then move on to the larger group.

For skilled players, the most effective strategy is probably to just keep the Snitchbug incapacitate by frequently tossing some Pikmin onto it, forcing it to the ground over and over. The Snitchbug will shake frequently when attacked, so you also must be ready to whistle your Pikmin back, or have the surrounding enemies under control such that they are unable to reach the briefly vulnerable Pikmin. This strategy requires that you are able to switch targets frequently in battle, and that you have full control over all Pikmin, so it can be difficult to pull this off without death, especially in larger battles.

The above strategies discuss how to avoid the Bumbling Snitchbug entirely in battle, however, in the case that one does manage to capture one of the leaders, you should quickly switch to the other one to round up any disbanded Pikmin. Henceforth, its important to have both leaders present during a fight. Though you can make it away with little to no damage from the Bumbling Snitchbug grabbing just one leader, its important to still avoid or prevent its attacks because if it manages to grab both leaders, nothing can be done to help the Pikmin left below until you break free.

Trivia

 * The Bumbling Snitchbug's design could possibly a reference to stereotypical Japanese cat burglars. The hands look like gloves and the abdomen resembles the typical green bag the burglars always carry around.
 * Along with Swooping Snitchbugs, idle Bumbling Snitchbugs rub their hands together, similar to flies.