There has been an extended amount of threads asking for help catching these certain bugs. So, here I present you with a guide to catching all those tricky bugs – from where to find them, and how to catch them!

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Tarantula and Scorpion

The dreaded beasts; these two bugs are nocturnal, and appear from 7 PM to 4 AM during the summer months. The Tarantula is first to appear, and can be found lurking around on June nights. The Scorpion then joins the party in July. You have the whole of July and August to catch them both. Once August is over, the tarantula is back into hibernation, but the scorpion continues to roam until mid-September.

There are several ways to catch these two monsters, but it’s not easy… certainly not as easy as a butterfly. Here is a step-by-step guide to catching the two, without them catching you!

Tarantula/Scorpion Catching Method

• Make sure while doing all of this, you DO NOT have your net out. They don’t like nets, and will bite you if they see you with one. This will result in you being sent back to your house, and having to start all over again.

• Now, make sure that it’s not raining. These two bugs don’t like water, and will also disappear if your gate is open.

• Next, find one. The best way to tell if one is near you is to walk around casually, without your net. Both the Tarantula and Scorpion make a rustling sound while moving, so listen out for that. Once you can tell one is near you, you’re ready to proceed.

• An absolute must while catching these bugs, is to move slowly. If you move too quickly, they will get scared and run away. Now all you have to do is creep up behind it. With the scorpion, this is easy – just look for it’s tail. But with the tarantula, this is not the case. To find the back of the tarantula, stand well back, and wait for it to move. Now you should hopefully be able to locate the back.

• Once you know which side is the back (and you’re standing behind it) there’s only one thing left to do. Make sure that the bug is absolutely stationary, and whip your net out. It’s much quicker to do this by using the D-pad, and making sure your net is the only thing in your inventory. Now, simply swing directly at the bug, and pray that your net lands right over it. If you miss, you’re in big trouble – it will see your net, and bite you.

So, by now, you should have either caught the bug, or ended up in front of your house. Congratulations!

Tarantula and Scorpion myths

1.) A few people have reported that you can catch a Tarantula or Scorpion by locating one at the bottom of a cliff, and then climbing on top of the cliff and catching it from up there. I have tried this myself, and it doesn’t work – your net just lands on the bug, but doesn’t catch it.

2.) Others have said that you can dig three holes, and walk close to it, causing it to get scared and run into the holes. This doesn’t work for two reasons:
i.) When you scare a Tarantula or a Scorpion, they don’t always go where you want them to – they might end up in the river or ocean, and will also disappear into thin air overtime if you keep scaring them.
ii.) When you take your net out to catch them over the holes, they can jump over them to attack you.

Fun Fact: If you put both the Tarantula and Scorpion in the museum, they will fight!

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Banded Dragonfly and Giant Petaltail

These are both dragonflies, and they’re always in a rush to get somewhere! Their ridiculously fast flying tends to drive people round the bend.

The banded dragonfly is first to be found flying around town, and appears in July. It can be found flying during the daylight hours, which are 8 AM – 5 PM. It has black and yellow stripes, which clearly distinguishes it from the more common darner dragonfly.

The Giant Petaltail follows in August. This dragonfly prefers evenings, and will appear from 4 PM – 7PM. This one is a lot bigger than the banded, and, sadly, even faster.

Banded dragonflies are summer bugs and will be gone by the time September rolls around, but the Giant Petaltail will continue flying until November begins.

There is several different ways to catch these two bugs. Some are very effective, and some maybe a little harder; however, they all work in one way or another.

WARNING: Please do NOT swing your net around like crazy. This usually doesn’t work, and will result in the dragonfly zooming off at 100mph to some unknown place. Please refrain from doing this.

These bugs will only fly fast if you try to chase them. If you walk at a moderate speed behind them, they will still fly pretty quickly, but they will slow down a little and you will be able to keep track of them easier. Walking at this speed always makes it easier to catch the dragonfly.

Methods of catching Banded and Giant Petaltail Dragonflies

1.) Get them cornered. They can only fly in straight lines, and must stop to turn around. Therefore, if you can follow one until it flies into a tree, wall or building, that is your best chance at catching one. However, if you miss, it will speed up in an attempt to get away from you.

If you do get in the sticky situation where it starts speeding away from you, your best chance at still catching it is to run after it until hits something else, however this time it will be much quicker at turning around.

2.) Dragonflies like to land on signs or rocks. If there is one flying around town, it will often seek out a sign or a rock to land on, but only if nothing’s pestering it. If you are patient, you can try waiting next to these landmarks. Eventually, a dragonfly will land on them – however, it’s not always a Banded or a Giant Petaltail, so you have to be prepared for disappointment.

3.) If you can somehow get them inbetween two objects, they will start to do a zig zag in an attempt to get out. This is another great opportunity to catch one.

4.) If you are lucky, it might stop and turn around without flying into anything. They turn often, and if you are close enough behind it, you can nab it while it is turning.

If a dragonfly gets scared and starts flying fast, it will no longer stop to turn unless it flies into something. That’s why it is always better to catch it while it’s flying casually.

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The Bee

The bee. It’s name alone brings fear… but not if you know how to catch it!

Bees live in hives, which can be shaken out of trees all year round. Shaking down a beehive often means trouble – the bees inside will swarm and chase you down. A swarm of bees are faster than our running speed, so they will eventually catch up, and leave you with a nasty looking face (this can be healed with medicine).

If you can enter a building in time, the bees won’t sting you, nor will they be waiting for you when you go back outside.

But these bees aren’t just here to be a pest – they are a valuable insect of the museum!

Bee Catching Method

Once a beehive is shaken down, there is a small delay before the bees exit it. During this delay period, you should run a good distance (about 10 – 15 squares away) and take out your net (again, using the D-pad to speed up the process).

Now, it’s all about timing. The bees will make their way toward you, and with perfect timing, you can swing your net just in time and nab one (the rest of the swarm will fly away).

This is much easier to do if you run to the left or right, because you then have more space between you and the bees.

I hope this guide helps everyone with these pesky bugs. Thanks for reading!

Thank you for the guide and hopefully we can get a sticky!

Tarantula, here i come

Nice guide but one mistake.  The tarantula and scorpion go after you no matter what tool it is.  They go after you if you have a fishing rod or a watering can.

Only if it sees u have a net out first

if u get a chance can u try the bus stop myth? apparently if u go up the bus stop but not have it follow u up the ramp it is easier to catch

Markio1, that's the same as the ramp myth. Your net does land over the bug, but you lift it back up as if you never caught anything.

ok thanx guess i gotta do it the old fashioned way

or b extremely lucky and have it b next to my house after failin at a scorpion

But i can never find the scorpions!!!

I can never find the petaltails. Those and the bees are the only bugs I need left in the whole game. -_-

So...

I can never find the petaltails. Those and the bees are the only bugs I need left in the whole game. -_-

So... what do you mean corner it? Even if you have two trees next to each other with a space between them, wouldnt they just fly between/through the trees?

Thanks for the extremely helpful info, BTW.

When catching bees, I find its easier to run north, because switching to your net makes you face south, so you are better prepared for the bees.

shinekid; Yes, sometimes they will just fly straight though the gap, but if you can chase them into a boundary with no gaps (such as a wall) then there is nowhere to fly through, and they have to stop and turn around.

Ok...but I dont know about planting extra trees just for the petaltails.
How fast are they? and How rare? Give me a percent of finding them.

There isn't really any need to plant any extra trees, they're bound to fly into something eventually.

They are rare, and you can probably only find about two in the whole time between 4 PM and 7 PM. That's why it's really important to know how to catch them, because you don't come across them very often.

Rare as in...how rare excactly? a 1/10 chance, or 1/100 chance?

I don't know exactly, because I've only come across one myself, and that was the moment I walked out of the door.

Just keep looking, you will find one eventually. They're out until October, anyway, so you have plenty of time to find it.

I was WiFi-ing with my friend the other day (when he had his town TT'd to August) and we looked for 2+ hours... _@
Are they less common on WiFi?

All bugs are just as common when on Wi-Fi as they are with just one player. Sometimes it's just down to pure luck.

As mentioned in the guide, if you are patient, you can wait by a sign or rock and one might land on them. Otherwise, just roam around town and hope one shows up.

I have caught a tarantula and scorpion while using the cliff method thingy, i just moved a bit further from the edge to catch it.But sometimes i fail

The bus stop "myth" is not a myth - I have caught a scorpion from the bus stop.

Your net reaches down far enough to catch it, just as it can reach down into ponds or the river to catch pondskaters and diving beetles.

I tried it myself and it didn't work. I don't know if something was wrong, but I'll try it again if I can. If it works, I'll ask a mod to edit it in.

In my case the scorpion was trying to get me from the bottom of the bus stop so I was facing south.

ty very much hope it works im tired of getting stung lol

Great guide Ruce! Congratulations on the sticky.

Icorrect info on catching it from the bottom of the cliff. It is possible. I have pcitures so I can prove it.

Also if you bring your net out when you see them and tiptoe SLOWLY AS POSSIBLE, even with you net out they won't see you, so swing.