The Bug Off

Catch bugs and win prizes by participating in The Bug Off on your island.

Bug Off Schedule

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Bug Off takes place in June, July, August, and September.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Bug Off takes place in November, December, January, February.

About The Bug Off

Between 9AM and 6PM, you can enter the tourney by talking to Flick on the plaza. You can enter as many times as you want. The first entry is free, but there is a fee of 500 bells to enter each time after that.

After you enter, you will have 3 minutes to catch as many bugs as possible. During the countdown, all bugs that you catch will automatically go into the cage in the tent on the plaza.

After the time is up, talk to Flick to find out how many points you got. You get one point per bug, plus 2 bonus points if you caught at least three bugs.

Sell or Take your Bugs

Talk to Flick afterward and he will ask if you want to sell him the bugs that you caught. He will pay 50% more than the shop. Or, if you want to keep any of the bugs that you caught during the tourney, you can open the cage under the tent in the plaza to take whichever bugs you want to keep.

You will need to sell any remaining bugs in the cage before you can enter the Bug Off again.

You can also sell Flick bugs without entering the tourney. Just talk to Flick and say "there's something else", then ask to sell your bugs.

Get Relics

Your points will be added to a points pool every time you earn points in the Bug Off. Keep entering the Bug Off to add more points to your points pool. You can exchange these points for Bug Off relics. Each item costs 10 points. When you talk to Flick, say "there's something else", and then choose the option to swap points for relics. Here is a list of all of the items that you can get for Bug Off points. Flick will always give you one that you haven't gotten before, and after you get all of them, he will give you a random one from the list.

  • Artisanal bug cage (furniture)
  • Bug aloha shirt
  • Bug cage (bag)
  • Bug wand
  • Butterflies wall
  • Butterfly backpack
  • Ladybug rug
  • Ladybug umbrella
  • Spider doorplate
  • Spider web
  • Termite mound
  • Toy centipede
  • Toy cockroach

Trophies

After you pass a certain number of points, Flick will tell you that he will send you something special in the mail. The points carry over from all the previous Bug Offs that you have participated in, and if you already got prizes in the mail after previous Bug Offs, you won't get them again. You will get the Bronze Trophy if you get at least 100 cumulative points. You will get the Silver Trophy if you get at least 200 cumulative points. You will get the Gold Trophy if you get at least 300 cumulative points. You will get multiple trophies in the mail if you pass more than one of these point thresholds in a single tourney.