Bug catching refers to the act of using anet to catchbugs, an action that has always been featured through theAnimal Crossing series, allowing the player access to another category to fill in themuseum by donating what they catch, or another source ofBells by selling them toTom Nook. While not as expensive as some fish, bugs prices might range from 5 to 12,000 Bells.

Catching the bugs[edit]

Successfully catching a bug requires patience and constantly deciding whether to act fast or much slower depending on the species to be caught. Bugs likesnails,pillbugs,ladybugs, and some butterflies like thecommon butterfly andyellow butterfly are usually the easiest to catch without needing to run.

Other bugs that stick to trees, like the cicadas and beetles, tend to fly away easily in presence of the player, and they leave even faster if the player runs near them, thus being slow near these bugs is a must. On the other side, the harder to catch bugs are some of the fastest in the game, like thebanded dragonfly, thetarantula, and thescorpion. Despite the difficulties these might present, all of them can be caught with any net.

Note that some of the bugs that can be caught in every game usually contain other species among them that aren't actually insects, but crustaceans or arachnids.Crabs andspiders are some examples of that, respectively, and while they are included in this category, they require tactics different to those used with insects in order to be caught.

Nets[edit]

Main article:Net

The only way to catch bugs is by using thenet tool, as is impossible otherwise to catch one. Yet, there are times where shaking a tree, hitting a rock with a shovel or digging on the ground will be extra steps needed for a bug to appear. There are four main types of nets: the flimsy net, the net, the silver net and the golden net.

• Flimsy net: This net is only available inNew Horizons, and it can be crafted or bought fromNook's Cranny. Its durability is lower than the regular net.
• Net: This is a common tool that can be bought for 500Bells, or in the case ofNew Horizons, crafted using a flimsy net and airon nugget.
• Silver net: This net has a wider net size and can also be bought atTom Nook's store. Although it is rarer, the silver net can be bought for 500Bells, the same as the regular net. However, the silver net is not very rare inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf; the silver net is available for purchase in theMuseum Shop for 600Bells after the player has donated 30 bugs. It is not available inNew Horizons.
• Golden net: This net provides the largest net size to make catching bugs easier, and can only be obtained by catching all bugs. In the case ofNew Horizons however, the golden net provides the most durability out of the other nets in the game, and needs to be crafted using a net and onegold nugget, with itsDIY recipe obtained from catching all bugs.

In addition to these four,Animal Crossing: New Horizons adds three stylized nets: the colorful net, the star net, and the outdoorsy net. These are functionally identical to the regular net, with the only difference being their design. These nets are available from the upgraded Nook's Cranny. Additionally inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, the player has to catch a certain number of bugs before being able to catch rarer bugs, but it should also be noted that in this game, the normal net can break after catching a certain number of bugs.

Bug locations[edit]

Depending on the species, there are several locations where bugs can be caught:

Location	Image	Description	Strategy
On trees		Bugs appear the most on trees than anywhere else, but usually only during thesummer.	Theplayer must walk up slowly to the tree to avoid scaring the bug off, especially if it is a rare variety.
On tree stumps		InCity Folk andNew Leaf, theViolin beetle andLonghorn beetle reside on tree stumps.	While not difficult to catch, the player must make sure they have some stumps in their town, by cutting down at least one tree without removing the stump.
On palm trees		Six rare bugs can be found on the palm trees, which include theGoliath Beetle (6,000 Bells), theGolden Stag (12,000 Bells), theHercules Beetle (12,000 Bells), theAtlas Beetle (8,000 Bells), theElephant Beetle (8,000 Bells), and theCyclommatus (8,000 Bells). There is also aCoconut Crab, but it is found only inDoubutsu no Mori e+.	It is recommended to start growing as many palm trees as possible near the beach to increase their spawn rate. Then, to catch them, these bugs must be approached extremely slowly to avoid scaring them off.
On the ground		Crickets, grasshoppers, stunners, and a few others are found on the ground. Ground bugs never appear duringrain, except for thewalking leaf.	They usually hop around, so the player should think ahead to where the insect is going to be and then swing the net in that location. The player should also avoid luring them into water, otherwise the bug will not be able to be caught.
In the air		All butterflies and dragonflies are found flying around, together with theFirefly,Honeybee,Mosquito, andMoth.	The player will often need to run after these bug to catch them, and avoid luring them out of town or where thesea is. Also, to catch thePeacock butterfly, needs to be hybridflowers in the town. All air bugs disappear on rainy days.
On flowers		A few bugs are found on flowers; these also disappear during rain. TheSnail,Ladybug,Spotted Ladybug,Mantis, andOrchid Mantis are the five flower bugs.	These bugs just need to be approached slowly by the player to catch them.
On garbage		TheAnt andFly are found near/on trash or candy. The fly is also nearRafflesia.	These usually undesired bugs are easy to catch, and require no strategy at all. Ants move similar to Pillbugs, while Flies move alike to mosquitoes.
Near snowballs / Balls		TheDung beetle pushessnowballs around inwinter, and inDoubutsu no Mori e+, it can be found during other seasons pushing the balls that appear around the town.	The player should approach the moving snowball slowly and swing the net at it to catch the bug, but they should also be careful near the water, as both the snowball and the Dung beetle can fall in it.
Underground		The only bug that lives underground is themole cricket.	It can be found by following the buzzing noise that the insect makes when the player is near. Then, to make it come out, theshovel should be used to dig holes trying to guess its location based on how loud the buzzing is. Once found, the mole cricket pops out from the ground and start crawling around, only disappearing if it leaves the screen or falls into a body of water.
Under rocks		When the player hits arock with a shovel, apill bug,centipede, orhouse centipede (Animal Crossing: New Leaf only) may come out.	If this happens, the player should quickly switch to the net and catch the bug. The slow speed of these bugs makes this a straightforward task.

Bugs

Bug catching Bug-Off Flick Nat Net Locations Grass Flower Pond River Stump Trash Tree Navigational lists By game First generation InDoubutsu no Mori InDoubutsu no Mori+ andAnimal Crossing InDoubutsu no Mori e+ InWild World InCity Folk InNew Leaf InPocket Camp InNew Horizons List of bugs Common butterfly Yellow butterfly Tiger butterfly Great purple emperor Brown cicada Robust cicada Walker cicada Evening cicada Red dragonfly Darner dragonfly Greater blue skimmer Banded dragonfly Cricket Grasshopper Pine cricket Bell cricket Ladybug Ladybug (AC) Mantis Long locust Migratory locust Cockroach Wasp Firefly Drone beetle Citrus long-horned beetle Jewel beetle Horned dynastid Stag beetle Saw stag Giant stag Pondskater Ant Pill bug Mosquito Mole cricket Spider Snail Bagworm Queen Alexandra's birdwing Horned hercules Flea Diving beetle Crab Hermit crab Coconut crab Dung beetle Peacock butterfly Monarch butterfly Emperor butterfly Agrias butterfly Moth Oak silk moth Honeybee Orchid mantis Lantern fly Walking stick Fruit beetle Scarab beetle Goliath beetle Rainbow stag Horned atlas Horned elephant Fly Tarantula Scorpion Rajah Brooke's birdwing Petaltail dragonfly Walking leaf Violin beetle Miyama stag Cyclommatus stag Golden stag Centipede Rice grasshopper Giant cicada Cicada shell Stinkbug Tiger beetle Wharf roach House centipede Rosalia batesi beetle Common bluebottle Damselfly Paper kite butterfly Man-faced stink bug Madagascan sunset moth Atlas moth Earth-boring dung beetle Blue weevil beetle Giant water bug Giraffe stag Pocket Camp-exclusive bugs Blue damselfly Blushing phantom Cairns birdwing Chestnut tiger butterfly Dorcus stag beetle Emerald cicada Empress cicada Giant blue swallowtail Giant stag beetle Gilded emperor Gold horned dynastid Gold horned hercules Green hairstreak Green stag beetle Island moth Longan lanternfly Luna moth Neptune beetle Painted jezebel Pearl butterfly Priam's blue birdwing Purple stag beetle Purple swallowtail Rosy maple moth Snapping beetle Spoon-winged lacewing Stresemanni swallowtail Three-horned stag Tropical fritillary W. golden birdwing Western hercules White scarab beetle Windmill butterfly Pocket Camp garden event •Category •Images •Project

Gameplay elements

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