Every month, players can find a whole new mix of insects to catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Collecting all the insects is a pivotal step for players to fill out their critterpedia and museum — and to earn some extra bells on the side.
Bug catching can take a moment to master. It can be difficult to sneak up on bugs and catch them before the little insects fly or run away. Aggressive bugs, namely scorpions and tarantulas, will take you out of commission if you aren’t fast enough to catch them. Here are the bugs to look for during the month!
Further reading:
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Bug-catching tips
There are a few ways to ensure that you catch some bugs. You will want to be sure you have the vault pole, ladder, and bug net in your inventory. Bugs will appear all over the island, meaning you will have to wander the entire island to find different types of bugs. If you’re working to only catch bugs, then ensuring that two bug nets are in your inventory could be helpful. Then, if one net breaks, you won’t have to return to Nook’s Cranny or craft one in the middle of the hunt.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the mole cricket is the only insect that requires a shovel. When hunting this little beaut, bring a shovel and listen for a cricket chirping noise. Where the noise seems to be the loudest, start digging. Eventually, the mole cricket will pop out. You will need to quickly switch to the net to catch this bug.
You can also sneak up on pesky bugs. Scorpions and tarantulas, for example, are best caught with sneaking. When one of these aggressive bugs is seen, hold the net in hand, hold down A, and slowly approach them. This allows you to walk slowly up to these bugs. When their front legs are up, stop approaching and just wait until they put their front legs down again before continuing to approach. Once close enough (or right as they’re about to run at you), let go of A and catch that mean bug.
Bug list
Animal Crossing: New Horizons follows real-world seasons closely. This means that each month, new bugs will be introduced and will match when the bug would appear in real life. Additionally, this means that the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere will get different insects from one another. It’s also important to remember that different bugs will show up at different times of day.
Changes in April
As winter starts to wind down, the Northern Hemisphere is going to see a radical shift in bugs. April marks the return of the common bluebottle, agrias butterfly, Rajah Brooke’s birdwing, atlas moth, Madagascan sunset moth, long locust, darner dragonfly, giant water bug, jewel beetle, and flea. You’ll have until the end of the month to catch a tarantula.
The Southern Hemisphere is seeing a shift in how many bugs appear and how many are leaving. This month, you’ll be able to catch the ladybug. You’ll have until the end of the month to get your hands on a yellow butterfly, bell cricket, red dragonfly, darner dragonfly, banded dragonfly, stinkbug, man-faced stink bug, ladybug, tiger beetle, and scorpion.
Below is a list of the insects currently available in-game.
Northern Hemisphere
- Common butterfly: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (160 bells)
- Yellow butterfly: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (160 bells)
- Tiger butterfly: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (240 bells)
- Peacock butterfly: Flying by hybrid flowers, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (2,500 bells)
- Common Bluebottle: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (300 bells)
- Paper kite butterfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (1,000 bells)
- Agrias butterfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (3,000 bells)
- Rajah Brooke’s birdwing: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (2,500 bells)
- Moth: Flying near light sources, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (130 bells)
- Atlas Moth: On trees, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (3,000 bells)
- Madagascan sunset moth: Flying, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (2,500 bells)
- Long locust: On the ground, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (200 bells)
- Mantis: On flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (430 bells)
- Orchid mantis: On white flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (2,400 bells)
- Honeybee: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (200 bells)
- Wasp: Shaking trees, all day (2,500 bells)
- Darner dragonfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (230 bells)
- Mole cricket: Underground, all day (500 bells)
- Giant water bug: On fresh water, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (2,000 bells)
- Stink bug: On flowers, all day (120 bells)
- Man-faced stink bug: On flowers, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (1,000 bells)
- Ladybug: On flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (200 bells)
- Tiger beetle: On the ground, all day (1,500 bells)
- Jewel beetle: On tree stumps, all day (2,400 bells)
- Citrus long-horned beetle: On tree stumps, all day (350 bells)
- Bagworm: Shaking trees, all day (600 bells)
- Ant: On rotten food, all day (80 bells)
- Hermit crab: Disguised as shells, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (1,000 bells)
- Wharf roach: On rocks at the beach, all day (200 bells)
- Fly: On trash, all day (30 bells)
- Flea: On villagers, all day (70 bells)
- Snail: On rocks and bushes during rain, all day (250 bells)
- Pill bug: Hitting rocks, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (250 bells)
- Centipede: Hitting rocks, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. (300 bells)
- Spider: Shaking trees, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (480 bells)
- Tarantula: On the ground, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (8,000 bells)
Southern Hemisphere
- Common bluebottle: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (300 bells)
- Yellow butterfly: Flying, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. (160 bells)
- Paper kite butterfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (1,000 bells)
- Monarch butterfly: Flying, 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. (140 bells)
- Moth: Flying near light sources, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (130 bells)
- Long locust: On the ground, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (200 bells)
- Migratory locust: On the ground, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (600 bells)
- Rice grasshopper: On the ground, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (600 bells)
- Cricket: On the ground, 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. (130 bells)
- Bell cricket: On the ground, 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. (430 bells)
- Mantis: On flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (430 bells)
- Orchid mantis: On white flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (2,400 bells)
- Wasp: Shaking trees, all day (2,500 bells)
- Red dragonfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (180 bells)
- Darner dragonfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (230 bells)
- Banded dragonfly: Flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (4,500 bells)
- Stinkbug: On flowers, all day (120 bells)
- Man-faced stink bug: On flowers, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (1,000 bells)
- Ladybug: On flowers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (200 bells)
- Tiger beetle: On the ground, all day (1,500 bells)
- Violin beetle: On tree stumps, all day (450 bells)
- Citrus long-horned beetle: On tree stumps, all day (350 bells)
- Walking stick: On trees, 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (600 bells)
- Bagworm: Shaking trees, all day (600 bells)
- Ant: On rotten food, all day (80 bells)
- Hermit crab: Disguised as shells, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (1,000 bells)
- Wharf roach: On rocks at the beach, all day (200 bells)
- Fly: On trash, all day (60 bells)
- Flea: On villagers, all day (70 bells)
- Snail: On rocks and bushes during rain, all day (250 bells)
- Pill bug: Hitting rocks, 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. (250 bells)
- Centipede: Hitting rocks, 4 p.m. to 11p.m. (300 bells)
- Spider: Shaking trees, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. (480 bells)
- Scorpion: On the ground, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. (8,000 bells)
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