Mitite

Mitites are small and pink creatures with white shells and six legs, appearing in  and. They cannot directly harm Pikmin or Oatchi, but when nearby, cause them to run in panic, which can inadvertently lead them to danger, like a hazard. When stumbled upon, they appear in a swarm of ten, scuttling around, and just need to be alive in order for nearby Pikmin to panic. In Pikmin 2 exclusively, Purple Pikmin are the only type of Pikmin who are not disturbed by this enemy.

Any egg in Pikmin 2, both on the ground and from a Honeywisp, has a 5% chance of containing a group of ten Mitites, which means they can be found anywhere eggs are. Sets of ten can also burrow up from under the ground in specific locations, such as sublevel 10 of the Hole of Heroes. Finally, a group of thirty is also released from the body of a Raging Long Legs after its defeat if it isn’t carrying a treasure. In Pikmin 4, Mitite spawns are predetermined, and they appear outside of eggs much more frequently. Honeywisps never hold Mitite infested eggs.

Every creature in the swarm drops a pool of nectar when killed, which makes them valuable for building a flowered army. In Pikmin 4, certain Mitites drop ultra-spicy nectar. When trying to get Pokos, they are also somewhat efficient. The reason Mitites are found inside eggs is because they lay their eggs inside the eggs of other organisms, making them parasitoids. Strangely, they cannot be petrified if they come out of an egg, but otherwise are petrified normally.

Behavior
In Pikmin 2, Mitites in eggs only come out once the egg is broken. Those that are hidden underground will come out if Pikmin or leaders get near, or if an Emperor Bulblax in the same sublevel roars. They can also be found in the Raging Long Legs in the Hole of Heroes after its treasure is collected. Once a group of Mitites appears, any nearby non-Purple Pikmin will start panicking. The enemies start moving around aimlessly as well. Any Mitites that are not killed will eventually burrow underground after a set amount of time.

Mitites appear more frequently hidden underground in Pikmin 4, and cause Oatchi to start panicking upon appearing. Their egg spawns are pre-determined, and Purple Pikmin are no longer immune to panic. Mitites can not be unearthed by a Bulblax's roar, as they are never encountered together. Mitties also spawn from the Baldy Long Legs in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale.

Locations
Mitites can appear inside any egg in the game, including eggs carried by Honeywisps. Once an egg breaks, there is a 5% chance that a group will come out. Besides that, Mitites burrow from under the ground when approached, or when called by an Emperor Bulblax's scream, in specific caves, normally in dead ends. These are all the locations where Mitites can spawn in:

Areas

 * Valley of Repose
 * Perplexing Pool
 * Wistful Wild

Caves

 * Sublevel 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the Subterranean Complex
 * Sublevel 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Frontier Cavern
 * Sublevel 2 and 4 of the Hole of Beasts
 * Sublevel 3 and 5 of the White Flower Garden
 * Sublevel 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Bulblax Kingdom
 * Sublevel 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the Snagret Hole
 * Sublevel 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Citadel of Spiders
 * Sublevel 3, 5 and 6 of the Glutton's Kitchen
 * Sublevel 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 of the Shower Room
 * Sublevel 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the Submerged Castle
 * Sublevel 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 12 and 15 of the Hole of Heroes. A group of 30 Mitites also comes out of the Raging Long Legs if it has no treasure to release.
 * Sublevel 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 of the Cavern of Chaos
 * Sublevel 6 and 13 of the Dream Den

Challenge Mode

 * Sublevel 2 of the Explorer's Cave
 * Sublevel 1 and 2 of Novice Training
 * Sublevel 1 and 2 of the Green Hole
 * Sublevel 1 of the Hot House
 * Sublevel 2 of the Brawny Abyss
 * Sublevel 3 of the Concrete Maze
 * Sublevel 1 of Three Color Training
 * Sublevel 1 of Hazard Training
 * Sublevel 1 of The Giant's Bath
 * Sublevel 2 of the Secret Testing Range
 * Sublevel 3 of the Breeding Ground
 * Sublevel 1 of the Bully Den
 * Sublevel 1 of the Sniper Room
 * Sublevel 3 of the Emperor's Realm

2-Player Battle

 * Angle Maze

Areas

 * Blossoming Arcadia
 * Giant's Hearth

Caves

 * Sublevel 1 of the Sightless Passage
 * Sublevel 5 of the Engulfed Castle
 * Sublevel 2 of the Doppelgänger's Den
 * Sublevel 4 of the Subterranean Swarm

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

 * Blossoming Arcadia

Strategy
The best way to kill Mitites is to throw Purple Pikmin onto them: any type will work, but Purple Pikmin send out shock waves that kill all of the surrounding Mitites; without purples, a direct hit is required to kill a single enemy in one hit-and-run. In addition, Purple Pikmin are the only type that do not seem to be upset by the scent of Mitites. Although this is no longer the case in Pikmin 4, the shockwave is still effective. Auto lock may focus on Mitites when there is larger danger present, turning the feature intended to be helpful into a nightmare. Mitites cannot be killed by swarming Pikmin into them, and any Pikmin that attacks a Mitite from the side will fail to cause it any damage.

When approaching an egg, keep in mind that it can drop Mitites. As such, the best way to open eggs is to throw two or three Purple Pikmin onto them in quick succession. The first Pikmin should break the egg(s), while the next Pikmin create a shock wave to destroy the Mitites, if they appear. This way, all Mitites can be killed in a quick fashion, without scaring Pikmin. However, seeing as eggs could drop nectar pools, it's advised to use flowered Purple Pikmin to open the eggs. If the egg drops nectar and the player uses leaf Purple Pikmin to open it, the Pikmin might drink all of the nectar before most of the other Pikmin can reach it.

Leader punches go through Mitites without harming them, but if they are petrified, the punches actually do damage and can kill, despite the health wheel not showing.

Mitites can also be killed using bomb rocks.

Trivia

 * The Pikmin 2 Nintendo Player's Guide erroneously refers to Mitites as Sheargrubs.
 * While the Mitite's family is listed as unknown in the English translation of, it is named in the Japanese script.
 * This was later changed in, listing it as part of the Mitite family.
 * The Mitite has 6 legs, and is the first anatomically correct insect in the series.