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Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearlwelcome trainers - old and new - to the Sinnoh region. Additionally, Pokemon that have been mostly absent in recent games make their return inBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl. This includes lesser-known Pokemon such as the Bug-type Burmy.
Burmy and its evolutions, Wormadam and Mothim, may not be as memorable as Caterpie and Butterfree. However, when fully evolved, Wormadam and Mothim have a higher base stat than most regional Bug-type Pokemon. Burmy itself is also unique because its typing changes depending on the environment of its last battle. To catch Burmy, trainers will need to have access to the Honey Trees.
Updated on Jul 06, 2025 by Renri Seong: There are many Bug-type Pokemon that made their debut in the Sinnoh region. Some Bug-types like Kricketune are remembered for their in-game Cry while others are known for being a new evolution for an older Pokemon (Yanmega and Yanma). The Pokemon Burmy and its evolutions are commonly overshadowed by other Sinnoh Pokemon. Seeing Burmy and its evolutions are needed to complete the Pokedex inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Despite the Burmy-line being forgettable among thePokemonfranchise, there are some trainers who will put Wormadam or Mothim on their team to provide more of an in-game challenge. The following guide has been updated to include more information on Burmy’s evolutions.
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Burmy’s Location
Standing as loyal remakestoDiamondandPearl,BDSPbrings back mechanics from the original titles, such as Honey Trees. Pokemon like Burmy can’t be caught in the wild, meaning trainers will have to try out everything the Sinnoh region has to offer if they want to fill up their Pokedex.
Once the trainer arrives inFloaroma Townand helps out the man in theFloaroma Meadow, they will be able to buy and useHoney. This item can be used ongolden treesfound around Sinnoh. Honey will cost 100 Poke Dollars, so it’s fairly cheap. Since some Pokemon can only be found exclusively on Honey Trees, it’s recommended to buy a few jars.
Honey will stay on Honey Trees for24 hours, but Pokemon will spawn after 6 hours. If players do not check up on Honey Trees after 24 hours, then they will need reapply Honey.
As an Encounter, Burmy has about11-16% of appearingdepending on what tree the Honey is used on (i.e:regular Honey Trees or Munchlax Tree respectively). The best way to catch Burmy is using a Quick Ball at the start of battle or using Net Balls, which have a higher chance of catching Bug and Water-type Pokemon.
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Burmy’s Evolutions
Burmy doesn’t have a three-stage evolution and will evolve into Wormadam (female) or Mothim (male) at level 20. Stat-wise, Mothim has higher Attack and Special Attack while Wormadam has high Special Defense and moderate Defense. Regardless of Burmy’s gender, it will have a base stat total of 424 once fully evolved.
Additionally,Burmy has three different forms. These forms do not have an effect on Burmy, but they will if Burmy evolves into Wormadam:
Burmy will always be in itsPlant Cloakwhenencountered in the wild. To keep it in this form, have it battle in tall grass or outside. To get theSandy Cloak, have Burmy battle in caves or snowstorms. Finally, Burmy will get itsTrash Cloakif it battles inside a building.
If players want their Wormadam to be a specific form/typing, they should have Burmy battle in a specific environment prior to evolving.
Should Burmy Evolve into Wormadam or Mothim?
Using Wormadam or Mothim requires some strategy. Both Pokemon have a tendency to be looked over in favor of other Bug-type Pokemon due to their stats and learnsets. It can also be difficult getting Wormadam or Mothim because of Burmy’s gender. A trainer who catches a female Burmy but wants a Mothim will need to catch another Burmy that has to be male. InBDSP, this means putting honey on a Honey Tree andwaiting another six hours in real-life time. Thus, catching and evolving Burmy can be frustrating and very time-consuming.
Unlike Mothim, Wormadam has different forms, and these forms also have different stat spreads. While its base stat total will always be 424, its base stats (excluding HP and Speed) get shuffled around depending on Wormadam having the Plant, Sandy, or Trash Cloak. Moves in Wormadam’s learnset also have a few changes to accommodate the Cloak Typing.
HP:60Attack:59Special Attack: 79Defense: 85Special Defense: 105Speed: 36
HP:60Attack:79Special Attack: 59Defense: 105Special Defense: 85Speed: 36
HP:60Attack:69Special Attack: 69Defense: 95Special Defense: 95Speed: 36
Despite the stat differences, Wormadam is a Pokemonwith good Defense and Special Defense.
Plant CloakWormadam has better Special Attack, but moves like Razor Leaf are Physical Attacks. While Leaf Storm, a Special move, is powerful, it’s got limited PP and sharply cuts Wormadam’s Special Attack after being used.Sandy CloakWormadam has better Attack, meaning it gets better use out of its secondary-typing exclusive moves, Rock Blast and Fissure. Finally,Trash CloakWormadam is more all-aroundand balanced, but can still get some use out of its Iron Head Steel-type move.
Players that have a female Burmy should decide which Cloak they want for Wormadam based on Burmy’s Nature and depending on what better suits their team. For those who just want Wormadam for the Pokedex, deciding on the Cloak doesn’t matter as much.
Note that depending on Wormadam’s Cloak, it can learn different moves from TMs.
70
94
50
66
On the other hand, Mothim is a Bug/Flying-type Pokemon and has a balance of Physical and Special moves in its learnset. Like Wormadam,Mothim learns the move Quiver Dance. The move Quiver Dance will raise Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Combine this with a balanced moveset, and Mothim should be able to carry his own in a fight.
Mothim’s Bug/Flying Typing makes it have a 4x weakness to Rock while a Wormadam’s weaknesses are influenced by her Cloak. One advantage that Mothim, Trash Cloak, and Sandy Cloak Wormadam have over the Plant Cloak Wormadam is their immunity to Ground-type, Poison-type, and Electric-type moves respectively. However, Trash Cloak and Plant Cloak Wormadam’s Bug/Steel and Bug/Grass-typing give thema 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.
Side-by-side, Mothim has the better offense and slightly better Speed, while Wormadam works better as a wall and a Special Attacker. Trainers should decide whether they want a Pokemon that can hit faster and harder, or if they want a Pokemon that might withstand being 1HKO by opponents.
