🦋How to Catch Rare Bugs for Money in Animal Crossing？

Elizabeth

July 27, 2021

We’ve talked about the best Nintendo Switch games to download during the quarantine. But, due to the increase in popularity of the new game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we figured that you might be interested in learning more about how to catch rare bugs and insects.

After all, with so much time on your hands during quarantine to entertain yourself, we figured you’ll probably be interested in learning how to fill up the museum exhibits and your Critterpedia as you indulge in some Nintendo Switch play during the lockdown.

Get ready to look for the creepy crawlies in this game. We’ve got your fun, full guide to how to catch rare bugs and insects in Animal Crossing. Prepare to play your day away.

How to Catch Bugs in Animal Crossing

Before diving into the rare bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizon, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how to catch bugs in the game. Unlike catching rare fish in Animal Crossing, which depends on looking at the shadow size of the fish underwater to determine the size and value of the fish, catching bugs is all about good timing and aim.

You’ll want to have your net out in front of you. Then, you’ll press A to swing it when you’re near a bug. Again, unlike fish, catching bugs is a lot easier because you can see them crawling or fluttering around right in front of you. There are a few that you might have to shake out of some trees (the spider, for example). But, for the most part, bugs are pretty easy to find.

Want to sneak up on a bug? Some of them scare easily, so it might be a good idea to sneak up slowly to catch one, especially if it’s a rarer bug that you’ve been searching for for a while. To do this, you’ll hold A down to ready your net and then slowly walk towards the bug. Once you’re within reach, release A and try to capture it in your net.

Make Sure You Plant Flowers & Trees

Flowers and Trees in Animal Crossing — Image Source

Some bugs only come out when you’re able to plant certain flowers. One gamer, for example, reported that the peacock butterfly only appeared after they managed to breed a blue hyacinth flower. So, you’ll want to be ready to do some serious work in the garden in order to attract certain bugs to your island.

As you’re getting used to the game, it’s okay to just plant a bunch of different clusters of flowers together. Water them and wait for them to grow and eventually you’ll have hybrids of different flowers growing that will attract different kinds of bugs.

It’s important to note that you can’t possibly catch every single bug in Animal Crossing without planting flowers. Certain rare bugs, such as the man-faced stinkbug and orchid mantis, only spawn on hybrid flowers, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re planting flower beds all over the place.

And, the same goes for trees. After you’ve cut a tree down, you might be tempted to dig up the stump. However, certain bugs actually spawn on tree stumps. So, leave them there for a while just to see what kinds of bugs pop up. While you’re waiting, look under some rocks. Hitting rocks can help tease out a few rare insects that are hiding underneath.

Tips for Catching Rare Bugs in Animal Crossing

If we’re talking about bugs specifically then it’s important to know how to catch the rarest bugs in the game. This is a little trickier than catching rare fish in Animal Crossing because certain bugs have the ability to sense that you’re near and will scurry away.

So, in order to catch rare bugs, you’ll want to remember to always walk while you’re hunting, not run. This will lessen the chance that a bug will see or sense you coming and you’ll, therefore, have a higher chance of catching it. Make sure to use the tip mentioned above, too. Hold down A to have your net ready and then walk slowly towards the bug you’re trying to catch.

If you find that you’re not having any luck with a certain bug or that a certain bug isn’t appearing on your island, it might be because your island is full of other bugs. An island can only hold so many bugs at any given time. So, if you see a bug you already have, try scaring it away to make room for new, possibly rarer bugs to arrive.

Also, getting a flying ticket at the ATM to a deserted island is another way of catching rare bugs that do not appear on your own island.

Go to the island;
Cut down all the trees;
Dig out all the flowers, fill the holes and carry them to the beach;
Leave all the flowers on the beach;
Walk around the island without carrying the net;
Then you’ll find rare bugs especially tarantulas easily.

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Where to Find the Most Valuable Bugs in Animal Crossing

If you’re looking to make money in Animal Crossing and do so fast, then we’d suggest looking for the rarest fish or the rarest bugs in the game. If you’re able to employ a few of the techniques above then finding these bugs and insects shouldn’t be too hard. Here are five of the most valuable bugs in the game.

Tarantula

📍 Location: Ground

💰 Value: 8,000

⏰ Time: 7 pm to 4 am

📅 Month: November-April

🌟 Tips: Tarantulas can run pretty fast and attack you. It's very easy to get stung and miss catching them when they run towards you. Approach them slowly, and when they raise their legs, stop and wait - they will get back to normal. Then you can approach them slowly again to find the best catching spot.

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Horned Hercules