Animal Crossing: New Horizons Bugs Guide - How To Catch, Prices, And More
Here are all the bugs we've found so far in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Blathers might think the bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are "wretched," but collecting them is one of the best things you can do in the game. The deserted island is filled with insects to collect, sell, gift, donate, and display, and you can find a variety depending on the time of year, weather, or season.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a total of 80 insects, which is eight more than in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Below, you'll find a table listing every bug in the game, where and when to catch it, and how much it sells for. We've rounded up the same information (but for fish) in our fishing guide. If you're looking for a list of items in the game, you can check out GameFAQs' full New Horizons catalog tool.
How To Catch Bugs In New Horizons
In order to catch bugs, you will need a net of some kind. The first net you get in the game is the flimsy net, which can be upgraded to the net at a DIY bench. There are no special limits to what any net can catch in the game--the type of net just determines how many times the tool can be used before breaking. Once your net breaks, just craft a new one at a DIY bench with resources found around the island or purchase a new one at Nook’s Cranny.
To catch a bug, approach it with your net equipped, taking care to hold down A to sneak up slowly. Once you're within reach, release the A button and your net will spring forward to grab the critter. If you miss, you might be able to nab the bug by mashing the A button, but sometimes bugs will flee. It takes practice, so don't be discouraged if you find that you're scaring away more bugs than you're catching at first.
Location
Bugs will spawn in different locations and environments. Trees, rivers, flowers, rocks, and light sources all play a role in where bugs will spawn on the island. Many bugs require a specific environmental feature to spawn, so keep that in mind when terraforming and decorating your island--you'll want at least one tree stump to get some bugs, for example. Also, if you don’t have any trees or flowers, you may find the bug population seriously lacking.
Weather
Weather is the second biggest condition that impacts which bugs appear. In spring, butterflies won’t appear when it’s raining; instead, bugs like snails will be out and about. Rain, snow, and sunny days will all attract different bugs to the island, so taking note of which bugs like certain weather will be the key to completing your collection.
Time And Date
As time in Animal Crossing is synced up with the real world, or whichever date and time you have entered into your Nintendo Switch, the time you play your game matters. New Horizons goes through all the stages of a 24-hour period in real-time, with different bugs appearing at different times. Bugs also vary depending on what month it is, which the game refers to as seasonality. If you want to collect every kind of bug, you will need to play the game at all different hours and throughout the year. The seasonality of bugs changes depending on which hemisphere you chose, too.
For reference, you can always check what time and months the bugs that you have caught will spawn in your Critterpedia.
Bugs To Catch In May
Bugs will come and go in and out of season in Animal Crossing. For players in the Northern Hemisphere, this month sees the arrival of the scorpion and the departure of the tarantula; for Southern Hemisphere players, it's the opposite. See a comprehensive list of what's coming and going in May in our guides below.
Rare Bug Guides
There are tons of rare bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some have unique spawn conditions that make them tricky to find, while others might just be hard to catch. If you're looking to fill up your Critterpedia and your museum and need some help with the difficult ones, check out some of our specialized bug guides below.
- How To Catch A Fly
- How To Catch A Flea
- How To Catch A Wasp
- How To Catch An Ant
- How To Catch A Mole Cricket
- How To Catch A Tarantula
- How To Catch A Scorpion
Every Bug In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The list below contains the time of year, time of day, location, and price for every bug in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Months denoted with "N" correspond to the Northern Hemisphere, while an "S" indicates the bug's availability in the Southern Hemisphere.
| Bug | Months | Location | Time | Sell Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Agrias Butterfly | Apr - Sept (N); | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 5 PM | 3000 |
Ant | All year | On spoiled turnips | All day | 80 |
Atlas Moth | Apr - Sept (N); | On trees | 7 PM - 4 AM | 3000 |
Bagworm | All year | Shake tree | All day | 600 |
Banded Dragonfly | May - Oct (N); | Flying | 8 AM - 5 PM | 4500 |
Bell Cricket | Sept - Oct (N); | On the ground | 5 PM - 8 AM | 430 |
Blue Weevil Beetle | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | All day | 800 |
Brown Cicada | July - Aug (N); | On hardwood/cedar trees | 8 AM - 5 PM | 250 |
Centipede | Sept - June (N); | Hit rocks | 5 PM - 11 PM | 300 |
Cicada Shell | July - Aug (N); | On trees | All day | 10 |
Citrus Long-Horned Beetle | All year | On tree stumps | All day | 350 |
Common Bluebottle | Apr - Aug (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 300 |
Common Butterfly | Sept - June (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 160 |
Cricket | Sept - Nov (N); | On the ground | 5 PM - 8 AM | 130 |
Cyclommatus Stag | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 8000 |
Damselfly | Nov - Feb (N); | Flying | All day | 500 |
Darner Dragonfly | Apr - Oct (N); | Flying | 8 AM - 5 PM | 230 |
Diving Beetle | May - Sept (N); | River/pond (surface) | 8 AM - 7 PM | 800 |
Drone Beetle | June - Aug (N); | On trees | All day | 200 |
Dung Beetle | Dec - Feb (N); | Snowballs | All day | 3000 |
Earth-Boring Dung Beetle | July - Sept (N); | On trees | All day | 300 |
Emperor Butterfly | Dec - Mar, | Flying near flowers | 5 PM - 8 AM | 4000 |
Evening Cicada | July - Aug (N); | On hardwood/cedar trees | 4 PM - 8 AM, | 550 |
Firefly | June (N); | Flying | 7 PM - 4 AM | 300 |
Apr - Nov (N); | On a flea-infested villager | All day | 70 | |
Fly | All year | Around garbage | All day | 60 |
Giant Cicada | July - Aug (N); | On hardwood/cedar trees | 8 AM - 5 PM | 500 |
Giant Stag | July - Aug (N); | On trees | 11 PM - 8 AM | 10000 |
Giant Water Bug | Apr - Sept (N); | River/pond (surface) | 7 PM - 8 AM | 2000 |
Giraffe Stag | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 12000 |
Golden Stag | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 12000 |
Goliath Beetle | June - Sept (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 8000 |
Grasshopper | July - Sept (N); | On the ground | 8 AM - 5 PM | 160 |
Great Purple Emperor | May - Aug (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 3000 |
Hermit Crab | All year | Beach (looks like a shell) | 7 PM - 8 AM | 1000 |
Honeybee | Mar - July (N); | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 5 PM | 200 |
Horned Atlas | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 8000 |
Horned Dynastid | July - Aug (N); | On trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 1350 |
Horned Elephant | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 8000 |
Horned Hercules | July - Aug (N); | On coconut trees | 5 PM - 8 AM | 12000 |
Jewel Beetle | Apr - Aug (N); | On tree stumps | All day | 2400 |
Ladybug | Mar - June, | On flowers | 8AM - 5PM | 200 |
Long Locust | Apr - Nov (N); | On the ground | 8 AM - 7 PM | 200 |
Madagascan Sunset Moth | Apr - Sept (N); | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 4 PM | 2500 |
Man-Faced Stink Bug | Mar - Oct (N); | On flowers | 7 PM - 8 AM | 1000 |
Mantis | Mar - Nov (N); | On flowers | 8 AM - 5 PM | 430 |
Migratory Locust | Aug - Nov (N); | On the ground | 8 AM - 7 PM | 600 |
Miyama Stag | July - Aug (N); | On trees | All day | 1000 |
Mole Cricket | Nov - May (N); | Underground | All day | 500 |
Monarch Butterfly | Sept - Nov (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 5 PM | 140 |
Mosquito | June - Sept (N); | Flying | 5 PM - 4 AM | 130 |
Moth | All year | Lit windows | 7 PM - 4 AM | 130 |
Orchid Mantis | Mar - Nov (N); | On white flowers | 8 AM - 5 PM | 2400 |
Paper Kite Butterfly | All year | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 7 PM | 1000 |
Peacock Butterfly | Mar - June (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 2500 |
Pill Bug | Sept - June (N); | Hit rocks | 11 PM - 4 PM | 250 |
Pondskater | May - Sept (N); | River/pond (surface) | 8 AM - 7 PM | 130 |
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing | May - Sept (N); | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 4 PM | 4000 |
Rainbow Stag | June - Sept (N); | On trees | 7 PM - 8 AM | 6000 |
Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing | Dec - Feb, | Flying near flowers | 8 AM - 5 PM | 2500 |
Red Dragonfly | Sept - Oct (N); | Flying | 8 AM - 7 PM | 180 |
| Rice Grasshopper | Aug - Nov (N); Feb - May (S) | On the ground | 8 AM - 7 PM | 160 |
| Robust Cicada | July - Aug (N); Jan - Feb (S) | On trees | 8 AM - 5 PM | 300 |
Rosalia Batesi Beetle | May - June (N); | On tree stumps | All day | 3000 |
| Saw Stag | July - Aug (N); Jan - Feb (S) | On trees | All day | 2000 |
| Scarab Beetle | July - Aug (N); | On trees | 11 PM - 8 AM | 10000 |
Scorpion | May - Oct (N); | On the ground | 7 PM - 4 AM | 8000 |
Snail | All year | On rocks or shrubs (rain) | All day | 250 |
Spider | All year | Shake tree | 7 PM - 8 AM | 600 |
Stinkbug | Mar - Oct (N); | On flowers | All day | 120 |
Tarantula | Nov - Apr (N); | On the ground | 7 PM - 4 AM | 8000 |
Tiger Beetle | Feb - Oct (N); | On the ground | All day | 1500 |
Tiger Butterfly | Mar - Sept (N); | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 240 |
Violin Beetle | May - June, | On tree stumps | All day | 450 |
Walker Cicada | Aug - Sept (N); | On trees | 8 AM - 4 PM | 400 |
Walking Leaf | July - Sept (N); | On the ground | All day | 600 |
Walking Stick | July - Nov (N); | On trees | 4 AM - 8 AM, | 600 |
Wasp | All year | Shake tree | All day | 2500 |
Wharf Roach | All year | Beach (rocks) | All day | 200 |
Yellow Butterfly | Mar - June, | Flying near flowers | 4 AM - 7 PM | 160 |
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