The bug-catching side of DAVE THE DIVER: In the Jungle is easy to overlook when you're busy diving Utara Lake and running Bancho Grill, but the Insectagram collectible system runs surprisingly deep. There are 37 insects and beetles spread across five distinct zones, two of them are locked behind story milestones at 50% and 100% completion, and the beetle battle system adds a whole rock-paper-scissors combat layer on top. This guide covers every spawn location, the right time of day to look, how beetle battles actually work, and the fastest way to farm rare spawns in Murau Temple.
How do you unlock the Bug Net in Dave the Diver: In the Jungle?
The Bug Net becomes available during Lipah's Fireflies, a sub mission that opens up when you speak with Lipah in Chapter 2. Once Dave has the net, catching bugs is as simple as walking up to one and pressing the prompt that appears above it. Butterflies are the most forgiving targets since they let you approach directly. Other insects, particularly cicadas and stick insects, will bolt if you move too fast, so creep toward them slowly before hitting the catch prompt.
How do you unlock the Insectagram and beetle battles?
Early in Chapter 3, you'll spot a beetle on a tree marked with an exclamation point. Attempting to catch it tears the Bug Net and triggers The Torn Bug Net sub mission. That brings Udo into the picture. He unlocks the Insectagram app on Dave's phone and hands over a free Lesser Stag Beetle to get you started with beetle battles.
The Insectagram tracks every bug you've caught and plays an audio cue when you're near an uncaught specimen. You can turn that sound off inside the app if it gets annoying. Udo also runs a daily shop selling up to 3 beetles and Insect Jelly, which heals downed beetles between fights.
All insect and bug locations in Dave the Diver: In the Jungle
Insects spawn across Utara Village, Sand Dunes, Setah Forest, Surga Falls, and Murau Temple. Setah Forest and Murau Temple unlock in Chapter 3. Surga Falls opens during the Cinta, Food of Memories sub mission. Spawn locations have a random element, so if a bug isn't showing up, skip to the next day and check again.
Flying insects (butterflies, moths, cicadas, and the stick insect) are caught mid-air with the Bug Net. Beetles sit on tree trunks and walls and require the beetle battle system to capture.
Where are the Sand Dunes?
The Sand Dunes aren't a single marked area. They refer to the beach west of Utara Village, the stretch just below the Shooting Range, and the ground near the entrance to Surga Falls. The Loquinianus Swallowtail, Striata Stag Beetle, Gideon Beetle, and Stevens' Stag Beetle all have spawn points across this zone.
Specific spawn tips worth knowing
A few locations that aren't obvious from the map alone:
- Moth: Found around the lights on Bancho Grill tables at night.
- Atlas Moth: Check the tree with the glowing trunk just west of Lathi's house after dark.
- Takua Cicada: Same tree as the Atlas Moth, but during the day.
- Stick Insect: Cut down trees to knock one loose. Rare spawn.
- Diving Beetle: In the water beside Sato's yellow craft on the beach.
- Zebra Stag Beetle: Check the gas can near Muna's tent.
- Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Butterfly: First alcove on the left when entering Setah Forest.
- Mulciber Spotted Monarch Butterfly: The alcove above the first campfire in Setah Forest.
- Rosenberg's Golden Stag Beetle: End of the bridge past the sun and moon door on B2 of Murau Temple.
For a full breakdown of what lives in Utara Lake itself, check out the Dave the Diver In the Jungle fish location guide.
How to farm beetles in Murau Temple and Setah Forest
Rare beetles like the Rosenberg's Golden Stag Beetle and Caucasus Beetle can take multiple attempts to find. The fastest method is a spawn reset loop inside Murau Temple:
- Enter Murau Temple and interact with every beetle on the walls in B1 and B2.
- Ride the elevator up to F1 and exit the temple.
- Interact with the beetle on the tree at the temple entrance.
- Head back inside and repeat.
Each pass through the temple resets the spawn points, giving you a fresh chance at rare beetles without sleeping and losing a full day. This loop covers the Murau Temple beetles well, though Setah Forest beetles (especially the Caucasus Beetle) may still need several resets before they appear.
How do beetle battles work?
Every beetle has three stats: Attack, HP, and a Type (Rock, Paper, or Scissors). Battles run for 10 rounds, and whichever beetle has more HP at the end wins.
Each round, you pick Rock, Paper, or Scissors. The standard rules apply: Rock beats Scissors, Scissors beats Paper, Paper beats Rock. The beetle that wins the throw gets the full effect of its move:
- Rock deals damage to the opponent.
- Paper heals your beetle.
- Scissors deals damage to the opponent.
When both beetles pick the same offensive move (Rock or Scissors), only the damage difference between their Attack stats is applied to the weaker beetle. So if your beetle has 15 Attack and the opponent has 13 Attack and both throw Rock, the opponent takes 2 damage. When both pick Paper, both beetles heal for the full amount.
The type bonus is the other variable. A Rock-type beetle gets a stat boost when you pick Rock. This rarely decides a close fight outright, but it can push extra damage when Attack values are similar.
Beetle battle move selection
All beetle battle stats
How to win beetle battles: a progression path
The beetles Udo sells at the start are deliberately weak. You can't walk up to a Caucasus Beetle (40 Attack, 104 HP) with a Lesser Stag Beetle (16 Attack, 44 HP) and expect anything good to happen. The system is designed around a gradual ladder.
One reliable progression path:
- Buy a Five-Horned Rhinoceros Beetle from Udo.
- Use it to beat a Striata Stag Beetle in the Sand Dunes or a Gideon Beetle in the Sand Dunes or Setah Forest.
- Use the captured beetle to beat a Giraffe Stag Beetle in Setah Forest.
- Use that beetle to beat an Antaeus Stag Beetle or Metallic Stag Beetle in Murau Temple.
- Use the new beetle to beat a Giant Stag Beetle in Setah Forest.
When you're fighting a beetle with slightly higher stats, lean on your beetle's type bonus. A Rock-type beetle repeatedly throwing Rock can squeeze out enough extra damage to tip a close fight. Some luck is involved, but matching type to move makes the odds more manageable.
To make the most of your villager relationships while grinding beetle battles, the Dave the Diver In the Jungle villager favorite gifts guide covers the fastest ways to build friendship with Udo and other key characters.
Beetle stat selection screen
How to heal beetles
Insect Jelly, sold by Udo, heals beetles that have been knocked out in combat. You apply it when selecting which beetle to send into a fight. Outside of that, defeated beetles recover automatically when Dave sleeps and a new day starts.
Insect Jelly is only worth buying if you're planning a long beetle battle session and don't want to sleep between each fight. For casual progress, just sleep it off.
For everything else the In the Jungle DLC has to offer, including new dishes unlocked through Bancho Grill, the Dave the Diver Into the Jungle new recipe list has the full breakdown. The complete Dave the Diver strategy guide collection covers every other system in the DLC.