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Bug Collecting

All ten types of butterflies from the base game in terrariums.
Sims can catch butterflies, beetles and Fireflies (Showtime) in The Sims 3, as part of the Collecting skill. Bugs are caught via the "Catch" interaction when you see butterflies fluttering in the air, or beetles crawling on the ground. If you have the Showtime Expansion you might see a swarm of fireflies flying around. Different types of bugs can be found in different places, and it may take your sims quite a while to locate the rarest and most valuable bugs.

Bug Collecting can be used to earn money. You can sell beetles, butterflies and fireflies directly from your sim's inventory, though selling them to the science facility will earn you even greater money.

You can also place your bugs in terrariums simply by dragging the bug out of your inventory. Terrariums can be placed on the floor or tables, and can stack up to four high. You don't have to tend the bugs in the terrariums once they're placed - they simply become a living decoration that your sims can view.

You can give your bugs names, whether they're in inventory or in the terrarium.

A sim catching a Glowy Fly in France.



Butterflies

This is a list of all available butterflies to catch in the game. Note: Values given are approximate and actual values may be more or less.

Icon Type Expansion Rarity Value
ButterflyMoth.jpg Moth Base Game Common §5
ButterflyMonarch.jpg Monarch Butterfly Base Game Common §10
ButterflyZephyrMetalmark.jpg Zephyr Metalmark Butterfly Base Game Common §25
ButterflyRedAdmiral.jpg Red Admiral Butterfly Base Game Common §35
ButterflyMissionBlue.jpg Mission Blue Butterfly Base Game Uncommon §50
ButterflyGreenSwallowtail.jpg Green Swallowtail Butterfly Base Game Uncommon §90
ButterflyRoyalPurple.jpg Royal Purple Butterfly Base Game Uncommon §150
ButterflySilverSpotted.jpg Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly Base Game Rare §325
ButterflyZebra.jpg Zebra Butterfly Base Game Rare §650
ButterflyRainbow.jpg Rainbow Butterfly Base Game Extraordinarily Unusual §1080
CryptMoth.jpg Crypt Moth World Adventures
(Egypt)
Uncommon §65
Cleopatra.jpg Cleopatra World Adventures
(Egypt)
Extraordinarily Unusual §1200
BambooStraightSwiftButterfly.jpg Bamboo Straight Swift Butterfly World Adventures
(China)
Common §20
YellowBandDart.jpg Yellow Band Dart Butterfly World Adventures
(China)
Rare §430
GlowyFly.jpg Glowy Fly World Adventures
(France)
Extraordinarily Unusual §1500
TwoTailedPasha.jpg Two-Tailed Pasha Butterfly World Adventures
(France)
Uncommon §110
GreenWillOTheWisp.jpg Green Will-O'-The-Wisp Late Night Uncommon §80
BlueWillOTheWisp.jpg Blue Will-O'-The-Wisp Late Night Rare §250
PinkWillOTheWisp.png Pink Will-O'-The-Wisp Late Night Extraordinarily Unusual §820


Beetles

Here is a list of all the beetles in the game.

Icon Type Expansion Rarity Value
BeetleCockroach.jpg Cockroach Base Game Common §1
BeetleLadybug.jpg Ladybug Base Game Common §10
BeetleJapaneseBeetle.jpg Japanese Beetle Base Game Common §15
BeetleWaterBeetle.jpg Water Beetle Base Game Common §30
BeetleLightBeetle.jpg Light Beetle Base Game Uncommon §40
BeetleRhinocerosBeetle.jpg Rhinoceros Beetle Base Game Uncommon §90
BeetleStagBeetle.jpg Stag Beetle Base Game Uncommon §175
BeetleSpottedBeetle.jpg Spotted Beetle Base Game Rare §400
BeetleTrilobite.jpg Trilobite Base Game Rare §950
BeetleRainbowBeetle.jpg Rainbow Beetle Base Game Extraordinarily Unusual §1400
RedAssassinBug.jpg Red Assassin Bug World Adventures
(China)
Rare §800
Scarab.jpg Scarab World Adventures
(Egypt)
Uncommon §180
Cerambyx.jpg Cerambyx World Adventures
(France)
Common §70
Termite.jpg Termite Late Night Common §5
Spider.jpg Spider Late Night Common §15

Fireflies

The Showtime Expansion added a new type of insect to collect: Fireflies.

Icon Name Color Expansion Rarity Value
Firefly albus.png Albus White Showtime Common §10
Firefly fulvus.png Fulvus Yellow Showtime Common §10
Firefly pratinus.png Pratinus Green Showtime Common §15
Firefly luteus.png Luteus Orange Showtime Common §20
Firefly caeruleus.png Caeruleus Blue Showtime Uncommon §80
Firefly ruber.png Ruber Red Showtime Uncommon §120
Firefly roseus.png Roseus Pink Showtime Rare §300
Firefly purpureus.png Purpureus Purple Showtime Rare §450

Fireflies Spawn between the hours of 8pm and 6am and can spawn at various locations that spawn Butterflies and Beetles during the day.

Challenges

There are three challenges associated with Bug Collecting:

Name Description
Butterfly Collector Catch 10 types of butterflies to become a Butterfly Collector. Sims with this title are learned in the ways of the insect and will have an easier time finding beetles and butterflies.
Beetle Collector Catch 10 types of beetles and your Sim will never fail at catching butterflies or beetles again.
Firefly Collector Catch all the different fireflies to become a champion Firefly Collector! Having all of the firefly varieties, you'll have a much easier time collecting more fireflies and other insects.
Sims 3 Game Help Categories:

Custom Content  | Installation  | Gameplay Guides  | Technical & Graphics Issues  | Miscellaneous Issues

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