Insect availability in real life vs ACNH

[DJStarstryker]

Something interesting to me is that monarch butterflies just started showing up yesterday (northern hemisphere) in NH. I'm lucky enough to live in the migration path of monarch butterflies and they start showing up early August every year in my area. They love my yard because I have big butterfly bushes and it's fun to see the huge butterflies floating around. They tend to go away late October. So it's basically a 1 month shift for the entire monarch butterfly availability versus in-game for me.

Have you noticed any differences of insect availability in NH versus your real life area?

 

[BigBadButterfree]

The fireflies were only in June in AC, but where I live they were around from late May all the way through July.

Not completely on topic but I also wish there more variety of ants. Fire ants, carpenter ants, Weaver ants, leaf cutter ants... And we just get... Ant.

 

[Pyoopi]

I chose the opposite hemisphere for fun and it just seems like centipedes never leave even in winter.
It's the same for SoCal. I can't escape them irl and in-game. I hate hitting rocks, lol.

 

[BigBadButterfree]

I chose the opposite hemisphere for fun and it just seems like centipedes never leave even in winter.
It's the same for SoCal. I can't escape them irl and in-game. I hate hitting rocks, lol.

You know, I'm glad one bug A: isn't in this game, and B: doesn't have its real-life availability.

The house centipede *shudder*

If the game really wanted to be accurate (at least to where I live), house centipedes would spawn when you don't play for a while and not cockroaches. I've never seen a real cockroach. I find tons of gross nasty centipedes in my basement. It was almost weird how rare the house centipede was in NL. I really don't miss it.

 

[Serabee]

I chose the opposite hemisphere for fun and it just seems like centipedes never leave even in winter.

I see centipedes in winter and cold weather more than I see them in warm weather... but that's because they can't exactly move around in snow- they need to go inside somewhere or something to hibernate in the winter. And sometimes they pop out to eat bugs. ...And possibly get eaten by a cat.
I remember my mom telling me to clean up more, I was attracting centipedes. And I just laughed- I'm like "if anything, I'm attracting other bugs that attract centipedes- those little guys are pure predators". I still cleaned up more, of course.

If the game really wanted to be accurate (at least to where I live), house centipedes would spawn when you don't play for a while and not cockroaches. I've never seen a real cockroach. I find tons of gross nasty centipedes in my basement. It was almost weird how rare the house centipede was in NL. I really don't miss it.

Lol, same. But I live in Minnesota and I don't think we have a ton of cockroaches here? The ONLY place I've seen them scurrying around is at the local zoo (when I'd go behind the scenes for zoo camp). But I think those might've actually been feeder bugs that escaped and started breeding. But we mainly get centipedes in our home, house spiders, and ants.
...And, for the first time, mice about a month ago. Fortunately, our thirteen year old, fat, diabetic cat with just a handful of teeth managed to catch them for us. I've NEVER been happier to have cats

OH! I also caught a firefly in the house about a month ago, too. I remember seeing it and realizing I'd never seen a real bug like that before... but it looked just like fireflies in AC games (the striping on the backs). Sure enough, when I caught it, it flickered. My cat tried to catch it, but didn't, and I was nervous "What if he DID catch it? Could it make him sick?" so I Googled if fireflies were dangerous to cats to put my mind at ease...
...it did not. They're quite poisonous and potentially deadly But, in about a decade of living here, we've only had the one. And I've NEVER seen them outside, so IDK where it came from.

 

[saucySheep]

Ahh... it's all very odd
where i am, cicadas are still around. don't usually go away until the end of september.
it may all be based on insect availability in Japan, ofc

 

[MyLifeIsCake]

Cicada shells should NOT be as rare as they are, especially considering how common cicadas are in-game. They plague my yard in the summertime.

The only time I've ever seen a mole cricket was when one wandered into our store. I probably wouldn't have recognized it if it wasn't for AC. It's front legs look exactly like a mole's. Luckily I didn't have to dig a ton of holes to find one!

If the game really wanted to be accurate (at least to where I live), house centipedes would spawn when you don't play for a while and not cockroaches. I've never seen a real cockroach. I find tons of gross nasty centipedes in my basement. It was almost weird how rare the house centipede was in NL. I really don't miss it.

I've never seen house centipedes yet we get huge roaches around our house sometimes. What's the lesser of two evils?

We also have giant water bugs. They not only look like roaches, but they can swim, bite hard, and FLY. I can't wait to move

 

[Serabee]

Ahh... it's all very odd
where i am, cicadas are still around. don't usually go away until the end of september.
it may all be based on insect availability in Japan, ofc

Yah, we still have some cicadas. We don't have a ton of them, but I see them now and then. ...And they sometimes get into our vents and "serenade" us from there. IMO they're some of the ugliest critters out there... their heads just don't look right.

Honestly, I think most of the wildlife is just a mishmash of cool species. I don't think there's anywhere on the planet where ALL these bugs and fish live together. But it's definitely biased towards Japanese and Asian bugs- like, the bees and wasps are based on Japanese ones, not European or American ones. And the fact that the game has such a wide collection of beetles seems to definitely come from being a Japanese game- apparently, those kind of beetles (horned ones) are semi-popular pets there, and some kids fight 'em. I think I read that the concept of beetle collecting and fighting was part of the inspiration behind... well, Pokemon.

Post automatically merged: Sep 2, 2020

The only time I've ever seen a mole cricket was when one wandered into our store. I probably wouldn't have recognized it if it wasn't for AC. It's front legs look exactly like a mole's. Luckily I didn't have to dig a ton of holes to find one!

AC games can help you identify things- like me and the firefly

I've never seen house centipedes yet we get huge roaches around our house sometimes. What's the lesser of two evils?

I mean... I'm pretty sure cockroaches can spread some diseases, can't they? Whereas I don't think centipedes do. Also, centipedes eat other bugs. Some people actually like having them in their houses... but they freak me out too much. If they wanna hide in our furnace room and eat ants and stuff, go for it. But if they come in my bedroom or bathroom? All bets are off.

EDIT: I was looking up cockroaches anyway- they can trigger allergic reactions and agitate asthma. So, yah. Not great to have in houses.
...And they can also potentially get into human ears. Fun fact- ever since learning some bugs can do that, I always sleep with my hair over my ears

 

[BigBadButterfree]

I see centipedes in winter and cold weather more than I see them in warm weather... but that's because they can't exactly move around in snow- they need to go inside somewhere or something to hibernate in the winter. And sometimes they pop out to eat bugs. ...And possibly get eaten by a cat.
I remember my mom telling me to clean up more, I was attracting centipedes. And I just laughed- I'm like "if anything, I'm attracting other bugs that attract centipedes- those little guys are pure predators". I still cleaned up more, of course.


Lol, same. But I live in Minnesota and I don't think we have a ton of cockroaches here? The ONLY place I've seen them scurrying around is at the local zoo (when I'd go behind the scenes for zoo camp). But I think those might've actually been feeder bugs that escaped and started breeding. But we mainly get centipedes in our home, house spiders, and ants.
...And, for the first time, mice about a month ago. Fortunately, our thirteen year old, fat, diabetic cat with just a handful of teeth managed to catch them for us. I've NEVER been happier to have cats

OH! I also caught a firefly in the house about a month ago, too. I remember seeing it and realizing I'd never seen a real bug like that before... but it looked just like fireflies in AC games (the striping on the backs). Sure enough, when I caught it, it flickered. My cat tried to catch it, but didn't, and I was nervous "What if he DID catch it? Could it make him sick?" so I Googled if fireflies were dangerous to cats to put my mind at ease...
...it did not. They're quite poisonous and potentially deadly But, in about a decade of living here, we've only had the one. And I've NEVER seen them outside, so IDK where it came from.

Wow, that's interesting! Wisconsin here, so not too far. Although I do live quote close to Lake Michigan, so that's probably why I see lots of fireflies. Also why we see a million mosquitoes... That's never fun. But wow, I didn't know fireflies were poisonous! I grew up with a cat and she never tried to go after fireflies.

And as for the centipede thing... I know they eat other bugs but they're still gross. And sometimes they get HUGE, just... Blech.

This also makes me wonder about some common things that aren't in the game. More variety of spiders, other pests like earwigs, and why is there a snail but no slug? Also, bumble bees please!!

 

[Serabee]

Wow, that's interesting! Wisconsin here, so not too far. Although I do live quote close to Lake Michigan, so that's probably why I see lots of fireflies. Also why we see a million mosquitoes... That's never fun. But wow, I didn't know fireflies were poisonous! I grew up with a cat and she never tried to go after fireflies.

And as for the centipede thing... I know they eat other bugs but they're still gross. And sometimes they get HUGE, just... Blech.

This also makes me wonder about some common things that aren't in the game. More variety of spiders, other pests like earwigs, and why is there a snail but no slug? Also, bumble bees please!!

Oh, I know, I don't like centipedes either. But I think they're better than cockroaches, lol. Which, apparently there are some in MN, but we've just never seen any sign of them in the houses we've lived in.

And don't even get me started on mosquitoes! I'm COVERED in bites right now We think they were breeding in our drains becuase, even though I'm all bit up, I really haven't been outside. My mom had to get me more anti-itch cream because they're eating me alive. I've read that some people are "tastier" to them than others... and I'm definitely one of them. Once, as a child, I had over a hundred bites at once.

And I agree- more spiders would be cool! Slugs, too. I haven't really missed bumblebees because I feel like the honeybees are close enough. But, bees are cute, and I wouldn't say no to more. I have a habit of looking up the bugs in this game and the Asian honeybees were some of the most FASCINATING to learn about (heads up, the next part might creep you out if you really dislike bugs) Apparently, they're preyed on by the wasps (or... are they hornets? I forget) Just four wasps can DESTROY a hive in a matter of hours. BUT. What happens is, one wasp find a hive, and marks it. And the bees have developed a defense. They wait for the scout wasp to come in. Then, they surround it in a big ball of bees. Like, it looks like a popcorn ball... but just bees (which, IMO, is only slightly grosser than an actual popcorn ball but I digress). Then they all vibrate together. This raises the temperature and... kills the wasp. They literally cook it to death. Now, a few bees usually die, too. But considering the wasps can literally rip apart a hive? It's a small price to pay for saving the group. Anyway, these wasps are the ones coming to the U.S. now (oh, wait, maybe they are hornets? I'm too lazy to go back and change it though, lol) People played up the dangers to humans, but they're not that dangerous to us unless you're allergic. But to the native bee population? Our bees haven't developed a similar defense, and THAT'S where the real danger is.

 

[saucySheep]

Yah, we still have some cicadas. We don't have a ton of them, but I see them now and then. ...And they sometimes get into our vents and "serenade" us from there. IMO they're some of the ugliest critters out there... their heads just don't look right.

Cicadas make me happy

 

[Xara]

spiders,,

reality: everywhere just for Fun
animal crossing: sort of rare¿ and only spawns from trees excluding the tarantula lmao

 

[Bilaz]

I haven’t really noticed any insects in real life other than the European hornet, mosquitos and oak processionary caterpillars -sigh-

so animal crossing is a cool way to experience insects like cicadas and big butterflies

okay to be perfectly fair we have white butterflies, yellow butterflies and a load of little dragonflies, I don’t know why the red one is seasonal in AC as I see them all the time when it’s warm enough for insects in general lol