How To Catch A Flea In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

There are 80 bugs to catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but only a small handful of them have special conditions to show up, like the ant and the fly. You can catch most of them flying and crawling about your island, around trees, on flowers, under rocks, and sometimes even swimming--in most cases, they'll be out in the open for you to sneak up on with your net. But the flea is one of the most elusive. If you want to catch a flea, you have to get to know your neighbors.

Currently, the flea is active in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Since it's April, the flea is a new arrival for players in the Northern Hemisphere, while Southern Hemisphere players have had to deal with its "curse" since launch. If the flea is new on your island, you'll have until November to catch one, so there's no rush at all. In the Southern Hemisphere, the flea takes a vacation after May, so you'll want to chat up your villagers every day if you can so you can catch one before they're gone! Here's how.

How To Catch A Flea

The only way to catch a flea in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is off the head of a flea-infested villager. Talk to and check up on your neighbors every day--you should be doing this every day, anyway--until one of them complains about feeling itchy. Even before you talk to them, you might notice little black dots hopping around them.

All you need to do is pull out your net and hit their head with it. You might need to adjust the distance so you don't accidentally pull them into conversation again, but no need to worry even if you do--the fleas aren't going anywhere.

Villagers usually hate being hit with the net, but this time they'll thank you for "lifting the curse." And you've done it! You've caught a flea.

When To Catch A Flea

Fleas are available to catch all day, as long as villagers are out to catch them on, but they're also seasonal, which means you can only catch them during certain times of the year. It's April right now, so fleas are active in the Northern Hemisphere through November and in the Southern Hemisphere through May.

Find the list of months the flea is active in for both hemispheres below.

Northern Hemisphere

• April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November

Southern Hemisphere

• October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

For a more comprehensive list of seasonal bugs, check out the new fish and bugs in April and which critters are going away at the end of the month.

What To Do With A Flea

Once you catch a flea, it will be registered in your Critterpedia like any other fish or bug you can catch in New Horizons.

From there, you can donate it to Blathers at the museum or sell it to Timmy and Tommy at Nook's Cranny. You can also sell it to the special visitor Flick, who will buy bugs off of you for 150% their market value.

• Nook's Cranny price: 70 bells each
• Flick price: 105 bells each

If you don't want to sell any extra fleas, placing them as an item generates a unique display item that's different from the standard tank that other bug displays have. If you have a spare one, try it out!

You're not going to make a fortune off selling fleas--they're mostly just a fun rare critter. For another rare bug that is worth quite a bit of bells, check out our guide on how to farm tarantulas.