Animal Crossing New Horizons: Scorpion Catching Guide

How to catch and even farm scorpions in New Horizons for fun and huge profit.
How to catch and even farm scorpions in New Horizons for fun and huge profit.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons northern hemisphere players will notice tarantulas are now out of season, and here to replace them are scorpions. If you thought tarantulas were a pain to catch, you’ve got another thing coming when trying to catch scorpions.

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Scorpions will be spawning in New Horizons from May all the way to October, but this is an insect you shouldn’t wait on as they sell for 8,000 bells each! You’ll want to catch scorpions whenever you can to line your pockets.

There are two methods for catching scorpions, and there’s a strategy to farm them. First we’ll go into the two ways you can catch scorpions without breaking a sweat, then we’ll go into how you can set yourself up for farming success.

Animal Crossing New Horizons: Scorpion Catching Guide

When Can You Catch Scorpions?

As stated, scorpions will be showing up on your island and elsewhere from May to October in the northern hemisphere.

If you’re in the southern hemisphere, scorpions will be available from November to April.

They come out from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., so stay sharp!

How to Catch Scorpions in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Tarantulas at least gave a warning when they were about to strike (jumping before dashing), making them relatively easy to catch. Scorpions don’t give you that benefit.

Since scorpions will run at you without jumping first, you have to take things a little more slowly. You’ll notice that when you get near a scorpion, it rears up and prepares to strike. That’s the last sign before they make a run for you.

Scorpion Catching Method One

This is the most basic method, and the one I use because I’m lazy. This also works on tarantulas.

All you have to do for this method is creep towards the scorpion while holding the “A” button. 

  1. Hold “A” and creep towards the scorpion.
  2. Move towards it, still holding “A,” until it goes into defensive mode.
  3. Stand still until it relaxes, still holding the “A” button.
  4. Move a bit more toward it until rears up again, still holding “A.”
  5. Stand still until it relaxes, still holding the “A” button.
  6. Keep doing this until you’re just close enough to swing your net down onto the scorpion!

This doesn’t take much time, and you should be able to catch the scorpion with the edge of your net.

If you’re scared of scorpions or aren’t confident in your ability to do the above, consider the following method instead.

Scorpion Catching Method Two

This one actually ties into the scorpion farming method outlined below, but you can use it on your island as well.

This method relies on the fact that you can jump, but scorpions cannot.

Let’s lay this one out step by step, too.

  1. See scorpion.
  2. Dig three holes in a row, either horizontally or vertically depending on your position from the scorpion.
  3. Walk up to the scorpion and provoke it to chase you.
  4. Run to the holes and hop over one.
  5. Swing your net and catch the scorpion.

This method is more time consuming and isn’t an option if you run into one in some decorated areas. I highly recommend mastering the first method, but this way is great if you’re just darned scared of these skittering menaces.

How to Farm Scorpions in New Horizons

This requires some luck, perhaps several Nook Miles Tickets, perseverance, and planning.

Scorpions spawn most frequently in flat areas, and there is one Nook Miles island that is perfect for farming these mean clackers: bamboo islands.

The basic method is to visit a bamboo island, remove all its resources, dig a safety zone, and to bait scorpions towards it for safe catching.

The only tools you actually need on a bamboo island are:

  • Shovel
  • Bug nets
  • Axe (the regular kind to chop down trees, not the stone kind)

However, there’s never any guarantee you’ll get a bamboo island when traveling by Nook Miles Ticket, so you may want to have your regular array of tools.

You may want two shovels, and two nets.

Step 1. Remove Everything on the Bamboo Island

Anything you can dig up or remove from the ground, you’re going to want to deal with.

This means:

  1. Chop down bamboo trees with the axe, then dig up the stumps
  2. Pick all the weeds and flowers
  3. Eat coconuts found on the beaches and smash the island’s rocks

What this does is makes it so other types of bugs can’t spawn, except wharf roaches. You’ll have to chase wharf roaches off.

Just dump anything you don’t want in your inventory for this task on the beach.

Step 2. Create your Parameter

Stand in one spot, anywhere on the island, and dig out holes all around you in a square.

This is your safe zone, and is going to be where you bait scorpions into chasing you.

You can hop over the holes with ease — this is your key to success!

Step 3. Start Provoking and Catching Scorpions

It’s finally time to start!

How this works is you walk or run around the island until you spot a scorpion, then make use of your safe zone. Here it is step by step:

  1. Walk around the island until you spot a scorpion.
  2. Walk up to it to get it to chase you.
  3. Run to your safe zone and hop over a hole to get into it.
  4. Catch the scorpion with your net from the safety of the other side.
  5. Rinse and repeat!

You may have to chase off wharf roaches from time to time to keep scorpions spawning, but using this method you can get an inventory full of scorpions in an hour or so and rain in those sweet, sweet bells.

And that’s how you catch scorpions and farm scorpions in AC:NH. Check out our plethora of other Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides here on GameSkinny!

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Author
Ashley Shankle
Ashley's been with GameSkinny since the start, and is a certified loot goblin. Has a crippling Darktide problem, 500 hours on only Ogryn (hidden level over 300). Currently playing Darktide, GTFO, RoRR, Palworld, and Immortal Life.