Animal Crossing: Every New Bug Coming in December 2021

As the year comes to an end, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players will find new bugs on their islands as the seasons change this December. Animal Crossing plays in real time as the clock settings on the player’s Nintendo Switch correlate to the in-game date and time, and the game’s creatures, including fish and bugs, will appear in the game much like they do in real life. To catch every one of the game’s 80 bugs, players will have to play throughout the year and keep an eye out for the insects unique to each season.

The hemisphere where players’ islands are located also affects the season, so players in the Northern Hemisphere will find different bugs on their Animal Crossing island than players in the Southern Hemisphere each month. December is the first month of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and many bugs in Animal Crossing can’t stand the cold, as only 20 can be caught this month. However, players in the Southern Hemisphere are entering the game’s summer months, as well as the best bug-catching season with 48 bugs available in December. 

Players can donate bugs to Blathers to complete their museum, and as of ACNH’s 2.0 update, this will unlock a poster that can be purchased for 5,000 Bells. Catching bugs will also add their information to the Nook Phone’s Critterpedia app, so players can check which bugs they’ve already caught and donated. Each bug in Animal Crossing can only be caught during certain months, which requires players to either play each month or time travel to collect every single bug in the game. Bugs also appear at specific times of day, and can be found not only flying around the island, but also on trees, tree stumps, and under rocks.

ACNH: Every New Bug In December (Northern Hemisphere)

December is the start of winter in Animal Crossing for players in the Northern Hemisphere, and many of its bugs and insects have left the islands until the warmer seasons. 10 bugs are no longer available as of the end of November, including the Monarch Butterfly, Long Locust, Migratory Locust, Rice Grasshopper, Cricket, Mantis, Orchid Mantis, Violin Beetle, Walking Stick, and Flea. Fortunately, there are three new bugs who don’t mind the cold that will be appearing in the game this month, and there are no bugs leaving the game at the end of December.

• Emperor Butterfly: can be found flying between 5pm and 8am from December to March and from June to September, sells for 8,000 Bells.
• Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing: can be found flying between 8am and 5pm from December to February and April to September, sells for 2,500 Bells.
• Dung Beetle: can be found rolling snowballs on the ground at any time of day from December to February, sells for 3,000 Bells. The Dung Beetle only appears after snow begins laying on the ground on December 11.

ACNH: Every New Bug In December (Southern Hemisphere)

Summer has finally arrived in Animal Crossing for December players in the Southern Hemisphere, and several of the game’s seasonal bugs will start appearing on islands this month. The Mole Cricket is the only insect that is no longer available after November, so players still have plenty of opportunities to catch bugs that return to islands in the spring. However, December is the last month to catch 8 of Animal Crossing’s bugs as they will leave once the year draws to an end. 

• Emperor Butterfly: can be found flying between 5pm and 8am from December to March and from June to September, sells for 8,000 Bells.
• Firefly: can be found flying between 7pm and 4am only in the month of December, sells for 300 Bells.
• Drone Beetle: can be found on trees at any time of the day from December to February, sells for 200 Bells.
• Goliath Beetle: can be found on palm trees between 5pm to 8am from December to March, sells for 8,000 Bells.
• Rainbow Stag: can be found on trees between 7pm and 8am from December to March, sells for 6,000 Bells.
• Mosquito: can be found flying between 5pm and 4am from December to March, sells for 130 Bells. 

December is the last month of the year that several bugs appear, including the Common Butterfly, Yellow Butterfly, Peacock Butterfly, Firefly, Ladybug, Violin Beetle, Pill Bug, and Centipede. While most of these are flying around the island, the Violin Beetle will spawn on tree stumps, and the Pill Bug and Centipede can be found by hitting rocks. Animal Crossing players who miss these bugs before the month ends will have to wait until next year to be able to catch them again.

About The Author