Bug catching

Bug catching, as its name suggests, refers to the act of using a net to catch bugs, an action that has always been featured through the, allowing the player access to another category to fill in the museum by donating what they catch, or another source of Bells by selling them to Tom Nook. While not as expensive as some fish, bugs prices might range from 5 to 12,000 Bells.

Catching the bugs
Successfully catching a bug requires patience and constantly deciding whether to act fast or much slower depending on the species to be caught. Bugs like snails, pillbugs, ladybugs, and some butterflies like the common butterfly and yellow 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 the banded dragonfly, the tarantula, and the scorpion. 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 and spiders 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
The only way to catch bugs is by using the net 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.


 * : This net is only available in, and it can be crafted or bought from Nook's Cranny. Its durability is lower than the regular net.
 * Net: This is a common tool that can be brought for Bells 500, or in the case of, crafted using a flimsy net and a.
 * Silver net: This net has a wider net size and can also be bought at Tom Nook's store. Although it is rarer, the silver net can be bought for Bells 500, the same as the regular net. However, the silver net is not very rare in ; the silver net is available for purchase in the Museum Shop for Bells 600 after the player has donated 30 bugs. It is not available in.
 * 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 of 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 one, with its DIY recipe obtained from catching all bugs.

In addition to these four, 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 in, 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
Depending on the species, there are several locations where bugs can be caught: