What it does
Bug Bite is a Bug-type physical contact move with 60 base power and 100% accuracy. Its defining mechanic: if the target holds a Berry, Bug Bite steals it and activates it immediately, as if you ate it yourself.
In competitive doubles, the Berry theft most often matters against Sitrus Berry or Lum Berry. Stripping an opponent's healing Berry before it can trigger at low HP — or stealing their status cure before they need it — is indirect disruption without spending a support action. Sometimes just knowing the opponent carries a Berry shifts the move choice toward Bug Bite over other options.
Two edge cases worth knowing: Enigma Berry and Jaboca Berry are removed on hit but don't activate — they can't be stolen into use. Also, if Bug Bite is super effective against a target holding a damage-reducing Berry for that type, the Berry still activates and reduces the damage, and it won't be stolen.
Who runs it
Scizor at 51% is the signature user. It carries Technician, which boosts moves with 60 or fewer base power by 1.5×. Bug Bite sits exactly at the cutoff — 60 base power means it qualifies, hitting at effectively 90 power. Combined with Scizor's solid base Attack and Steel/Bug typing that gives it excellent bulk, Bug Bite is its most reliable Bug STAB slot.
The 100% accuracy and contact property round it out. No gambles on hit chance, and certain team synergies that interact with contact moves can benefit from it being physical.
How to use it
Two clear modes in doubles: pure damage and Berry denial.
For damage: Bug hits Psychic, Dark, and Grass for super-effective damage. When those types appear across the field, Bug Bite on Scizor with Technician active deals respectable damage without the risk a lower-accuracy move brings.
For Berry denial: read the opponent's team in preview. If their setup sweeper or damage dealer relies on a Sitrus Berry to survive an otherwise KO-able threshold, or a Lum Berry to shake off a paralysis or burn, Bug Bite can strip that Berry mid-fight. The timing matters — use it before the Berry would naturally trigger, not after.
Tips & strategy
Technician interacts with Bug Bite at the exact power threshold: 60 base power triggers the boost. Other moves above 60 don't qualify. Keep that in mind when the item recommends Technician builds — it applies to Bug Bite, Bullet Punch, and a few others, not to every move on the set.
Contact moves trigger certain defensive abilities. Rough Skin, Iron Barbs — clicking Bug Bite into those deals recoil to Scizor. Not a frequent issue, but worth tracking when those abilities are on the field.
Steel-types halve Bug damage. Scizor can't click Bug Bite into opposing Steel-types and expect meaningful damage. Pivot to its other moves or let a partner handle the matchup.