Players looking to make money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can always rely on one of two common activities in the game: fishing and bug catching. However, to make the most amount of bells (and to complete that huge museum collection), players will want to make sure they find all possible species.
RelatedAnimal Crossing: 8 Villagers I'd Hate To Be Neighbors With
Villagers might be cute on your island, but they’d be difficult to deal with in real life.
Posts By Casey FootThere are many critters around the island, some common and some rare than others. Recognizing which ones to go for and what they're worth is vital, which is why this article will introduce some of the most elusive bugs that rake in a ton of bells.
Updated on October 10, 2024 by Gabrielle Castania: With a full museum and Critterpedia in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we're updating our list of the rarest bugs in ACNH to help players new and old make the most bells for all their hard work swinging their nets!
All prices we've listed for the rarest bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are reflective of how much you earn selling that bug to the Nooklings. Flick always pays time and a half for your catches, so if you don't need the Bells immediately, you might do well to store your rarest bugs until he shows up to really cash in!
10 Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Value
4,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
May–September
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
November–March
Time of Day
8AM–5PM
Where to Find
Flying (often near flowers)
Many players may have noticed this behemoth butterfly fluttering around their island, simply because of its massive size. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is a green and slightly turquoise butterfly, which is slow-moving and easy to catch.
That being said, its appearance is somewhat rare. When you do see it, it'll be around the island during the daytime, most typically around any existing flower gardens. It fetches a nice, though not exorbitant, price, and it also becomes one of the largest statues in the game when you give three of them to Flick.
9 Banded Dragonfly
Value
4,500 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
May–October
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
November–April
Time of Day
8AM–5PM
Where to Find
Flying
Dragonflies are relatively small when they fly around your island, so it can occasionally be hard to tell one from another. You'll know you've got a Banded Dragonfly on your hands when you chase it for 5 minutes and still don't manage to catch it – these freaking things are fast!
The fastest of all dragonflies in the game, you’ve got your work cut out for you if you hope to catch up! When you do, your in-game character will celebrate too, with a resounding cheer of: "I did it!"
8 Scorpion
Value
8,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
May–September
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
November–April
Time of Day
7PM–4AM
Where to Find
The Ground
If you were playing at launch for ACNH, do you remember trying to get a Scorpion or Tarantula island on your Nook Miles tours? Players went wild trying to spawn these special islands, and for good reason – the bugs there are some of the most valuable bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
RelatedAnimal Crossing New Horizons: 10 Villagers That Would Make The Best IRL Neighbors
These are the Animal Crossing neighbors you'd love next door.
Posts By Atiya ChowdhuryYou’ll need to be careful walking around at night with your bug net out, though, since Scorpions are one of the rare bugs in Animal Crossing that fight back! Watch out for that stinger – you’ll lose the bug, pass out, and wake up at home.
7 Tarantula
Value
8,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
November–April
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
May–October
Time of Day
7PM–4AM
Where to Find
The Ground
The king of all critters and among the hardest to catch, the Tarantula is pretty much on par with the scorpion when it comes to difficulty and rarity. During whichever season the other hemisphere has the Scorpion running around, you’ll instead have the Tarantula, as they switch off on the seasons every six months.
Although it doesn't quite fetch the same price as the Giraffe Stag or Golden Stag further down this list, it's still an immensely valuable bug. Look for it in the evenings on your island – but be careful of its bite!
6 Goliath Beetle
Value
8,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
June–September
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
December–March
Time of Day
5PM–8AM
Where to Find
Palm Trees
The Goliath Beetle is aptly named. This hulking beast is found only on palm trees, presumably because there's more space on the beach than the grass for their enormousness. You won’t need to look very hard to spot one on a palm tree!
It's a relatively rare bug in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, though, only appearing four months out of the year when it’s the warmest outside. Though there are a handful of different beetles worth that 8,000 Bell price tag, we won’t say no to a few more.
5 Horned Elephant
Value
8,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
July and August
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
January and February
Time of Day
5PM–8AM
Where to Find
Palm Trees
Horned Elephants are some really big bugs, so you'd think they will be easily spotted! On the contrary, though, these guys won't appear often, only show up two months out of the year, and are liable to fly away when startled.
The most devoted players will catch it to complete their museum and Critterpedia. If you manage to snag two, you can also sell them for a pretty penny to the Nook brothers. Goodness knows why they buy anything you put in front of them.
4 Scarab Beetle
Value
10,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
July and August
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
January and February
Time of Day
11PM–8AM
Where to Find
Trees
Scarab Beetles are truly stunning, with a silver exoskeleton and round shape. As if to put a point on their rarity, they can only be found in July and August in the Northern Hemisphere, or January and February in the Southern Hemisphere.
RelatedAnimal Crossing: The 35 Best Villagers Ever, Ranked
Since the release of the first Animal Crossing game, the series has expanded significantly, including its roster of villagers.
PostsIt's no surprise, then, that these guys are some of the most valuable bugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Thankfully, while they don't spawn often, their silvery sheen gives them away once they do, making them pretty easy to sight and catch even during the dark of night when they spawn.
3 Golden Stag
Value
12,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
July and August
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
January and February
Time of Day
5PM–8AM
Where to Find
Palm Trees
Have you noticed a pattern with some of these summertime beetles so far? Another super rare bug from the beetle family is the Golden Stag. It has a slightly gilded exterior, which gives it a unique look and name.
This bug is so rare that many have not even realized it has made it to New Horizons as one of the most expensive species. The Golden Stag can be caught on palm trees overnight during the hottest months of the year, if you’re diligent enough to track one down.
2 Horned Hercules
Value
12,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
June and July
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
January and February
Time of Day
5PM–8AM
Where to Find
Palm Trees
Like their similarly valuable (and similarly rare) cousins the Horned Elephant, Horned Hercules beetles are really hard to come by and even harder to catch when you finally do. They can be recognized by their black head and spotted yellow back.
Where there's a will there's a way, though, and plenty of players have nabbed this bug running through their beaches overnight during the summer months. Once you do, too, you can say you beat a Hercules all by yourself! (We won't tell on you.)
1 Giraffe Stag
Value
12,000 Bells
Northern Hemisphere Spawn
July and August
Southern Hemisphere Spawn
January and February
Time of Day
5PM–8AM
Where to Find
Palm Trees
The Giraffe Stag is a brand new bug that was introduced in New Horizons; a massive black beetle with long pincers. It's considered easily one of the rarest and most situational bugs in the game, as it can be found usually on palm trees only during the limited few summer months,
Though you’ll need to put in some late nights scouring the beach in your hemisphere’s summer months, finding a Giraffe Stag is well worth the work – it has one of the highest sell prices of every bug in ACNH.
NextAnimal Crossing: New Horizons - 10 Hardest Nook Miles Tasks To Complete
Some of these goals are pretty tough for such a cozy game.
Posts By Marissa Fiore
