Animal Crossing: New Horizons gives players dozens of ways to earn Bells, but none are more popular than fishing and bug catching. The most valuable fish are worth 15,000 Bells each, while bugs top out at 12,000 Bells. However — with a bit of elbow grease — it’s possible to make bug catching the more lucrative pastime. If you aren’t afraid of hunting spiders, you can turn mystery islands into tarantula paradise and rake in hundreds of thousands of Bells in just a few hours.

Prepare Your Inventory For Tarantula Hunting

Before you set out on your adventure, you’ll want to make sure you have the proper equipment. Here’s what you need:

  • Net Shovel Axe Ladder Vaulting Pole Nook Miles Ticket

You’ll probably need multiple nets for this outing, or you can always craft/purchase more once you get to your destination. Once you’ve put together your inventory, it’s time to head over to Dodo Airlines and use that Nook Miles Ticket — just make sure you’re heading out between the hours of 7pm and 4am as that’s when tarantulas will spawn.

Ensure Bugs Can Survive On The Island

The first thing you’ll want to do is ensure that bugs are populating the island you’ve been sent to. There are numerous blueprints for mystery islands, and some don’t allow for the creepy crawlies. If you see any bugs floating around — usually an island can support a maximum of 4 bugs at a time — then you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Destroy Everything!

Once you know insects can thrive on your island, get to work clearing it out. Then, empty your pockets by dropping everything on the beach. Here’s a quick list of what needs to be done:

  • Chop down every tree Remove every stump Pick every flower Destroy every rock (By eating fruit then striking it)

Once your island is deserted, there will only be a few things that can spawn — depending on the season. Tarantulas are one of the few creatures that only need open space to spawn, but they’ll probably be competing with mole crickets, giant water bugs, and possibly a few beetles and wharf roaches. Be sure to scare off everything that isn’t a tarantula to allow room for new insects to spawn.

Giant water bugs are a particular nuisance, as they don’t get scared away when you run by. Plus, they can swim out of your sight, hidden behind the edge of rivers. As long as you’re clearing out everything as you come across it, tarantulas should start spawning regularly. You’ll want to constantly circle the island — searching every corner — to ensure they have room to spawn and that you’re discovering all the other unwanted bugs.

Walk Away With A Pocket Full Of Bells

After a few hours of work, you should have an inventory full of tarantulas. These sell for 8,000 a piece at Nook’s Cranny, or you can hold out and sell them to Flick for an even higher price. But no matter who you sell them to, you’re going to be a lot richer than you were earlier in the day. When tarantulas are out of season, this technique can also be used to catch scorpions, meaning you can farm bugs all year long.

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