Heartopia has plenty of ways to spend your time on the island, but the Insect Catching hobby stands out as one of the most rewarding once you understand how it works. Unlike fishing, which is relatively forgiving, catching bugs demands patience, timing, and a solid grasp of weather and time-of-day conditions. Miss those variables and you will spend hours wandering the wrong zones looking for species that simply will not spawn. This guide pulls together every confirmed insect location, the mechanics behind the bubble net system, and the most efficient routes for filling your Insect Journal from Level 1 all the way to the rarest Level 10 specimens.
How to Unlock the Insect Catching Hobby
Before a single bug ends up in your net, you need to unlock the hobby itself. Insect Catching becomes available once you reach Developer Level 6, at which point the game awards you a Hobby Expansion Ticket. This ticket permanently unlocks one of three available hobbies, so choose Insect Catching if that is your priority.
Here is the exact unlock sequence:
- Reach Developer Level 6 by completing Resident Requests and story objectives.
- Visit all three Hobby Mentors on the island.
- Head to Naniwa, your insect catching mentor, located on the east side of Garden Street near the river.
- Hand over your Hobby Expansion Ticket to permanently activate the hobby.
- Naniwa gifts you a Basic Bug Net and walks you through the fundamentals.
Once unlocked, Naniwa also sells upgrades, Inflatable Insect Attractors, and repair kits. Return to him regularly as your catching level climbs.
Naniwa is your primary vendor for specialty tools. Check his stock every time you level up your Insect Catching hobby, since new items unlock at higher tiers.
Unlock the hobby with Naniwa
How Does Insect Catching Work in Heartopia?
The catching system in Heartopia is built around stealth and timing. Rush an insect and it flees. Approach carefully and you land the catch. There are two distinct methods depending on the bug you are targeting.
Method 1: Quick Cast
Equip your bubble net from the toolbox, then fire a bubble directly at a stationary or slow-moving insect. If the bubble connects before the bug reacts, it is captured instantly. This approach works well for common, low-level species that are not particularly skittish.
Method 2: Stealth Catch
- Hold the stealth button to enter slow-movement mode.
- Your bubble charges while you move in carefully.
- Keep the insect centered as you close the distance.
- Release the charged bubble when you are within range.
Stealth mode is essential for rarer, more alert species. Running at any point during the approach will trigger a flee response.
If a bug flees before you can catch it, do not chase it across the map. Leave the spawn area entirely, wait a short cooldown, then return. Spawn points reset after you step away.
What to Do With Caught Insects
Every insect you catch goes into your Insect Journal and inventory. From there you have two main options:
- Sell to Albert Jr. for gold (his location is marked on your in-game map).
- Display in Vivariums at your home to keep favorite catches on permanent show.
Bug Net Levels and Hobby Skills
Your net is not a static tool. Upgrading it directly affects your catch radius and success rate against rare species.
Beyond the net itself, four passive hobby skills improve your efficiency as you level up:
- Netting Skill — Extends the net's reach so you catch from greater distances.
- Insect Quality — Raises the odds of catching higher-rarity specimens.
- Insect Net Maintenance — Increases net durability between repairs.
- Double Catch — Gives a chance to capture two insects in a single swing.
Upgrade your net for better range
Time of Day and Weather: The Two Variables That Matter Most
Ignoring time and weather is the single biggest mistake new collectors make. Many species will not appear at all outside their specific windows, and some of the most valuable bugs are locked entirely behind Rainy or Rainbow conditions.
Time Periods
The game divides the day into four windows:
- Dawn — 12:00 AM to 5:59 AM
- Morning — 6:00 AM to 11:59 AM
- Afternoon — 12:00 PM to 5:59 PM
- Dusk — 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM
You can read the current period from the time icons in your menu. The moon with zz indicates night, the rising sun marks morning, the full sun is daytime, and the moon with a single star signals evening.
Weather Conditions
Rainbow weather is the single best condition for rare bug hunting. It activates both the Sunny and Rainy spawn pools at the same time. Check your in-game smartwatch forecast and prioritize any session where rainbow weather is predicted.
All Insects in Heartopia and Where to Find Them
The table below organizes every confirmed species by level requirement, location, active time, and weather. Sources across multiple guides confirm these entries, with the KeenGamer and theheartopia.com community data covering higher-level species up to Level 10.
For a deeper breakdown of insect locations by area, the complete Heartopia insect catching guide and insect location resource covers spawn point details worth cross-referencing.
Track species in your Insect Journal
Winter Frost Insects: The Frostspore Butterflies
During the Winter Frost Event (January 31 to March 13), a special set of Frostspore Butterflies spawns throughout the Forest areas. To activate them, speak with Naniwa and select "Mysterious Frostspore Butterflies" in his dialogue menu. This triggers the event and causes all five variants to begin appearing.
All Frostspore variants are available in all weather conditions and at any time of day, making them more accessible than most rare species. Once the season ends, you cannot catch new specimens until the event returns.
The Frostspore Postman Butterfly on Truffle Island requires you to trigger a swarm event first. Arrive at the island and interact with the designated spawn trigger point before the butterfly will appear.
Special Events: Bait the Insects
The Bait the Insects event takes place at Onsen Mountain and can also be started directly at the location by paying a small fee. Several insects are exclusive to this event and cannot be found during normal roaming:
- Apollo
- Postman Butterfly
- Pink Katydid
- White Witch
- Chestnut Tiger
- Crimson Marsh Glider
- Rainbow Stag Beetle
Check the Events tab in your in-game menu for the current schedule. Missing this event means missing these species entirely until the next occurrence.
For a full walkthrough of how to trigger the event and all associated bug spawns, the Heartopia complete guide to the Catch Insects hobby covers the event mechanics in detail.
Event-only bugs at Onsen Mountain
Tools and Traps: Passive Catching Options
Insect Traps
Three craftable trap types let you collect bugs passively while you focus on other activities:
Inflatable Insect Attractor
The Inflatable Insect Attractor costs 2,000 Gold or 1 Wishing Star from Naniwa and requires Insect Catching Level 4 or higher. It is the only reliable way to catch Sulkowsky's Morpho, making it an essential purchase for journal completion.
Placing it correctly matters. The Attractor lasts only 1 minute and covers a small area, so placement strategy is critical.
- Drop it in the Flower Field or Forest where bugs are already actively spawning.
- Catch 2-3 common insects in the area before activating it. This warms up the local spawn pool and improves rare spawn rates within the Attractor's radius.
- Never place it in an empty zone with no active spawns nearby.
How to Get 5-Star Insects in Your Journal
Catching a bug once only starts the entry. Each species has a 1-to-5 star rating in your Insect Journal, and filling it to five stars requires catching larger specimens of the same species repeatedly.
- Bug size drives the star rating. Larger specimens earn higher stars.
- There is no visible size indicator before you catch. It is a random roll each attempt.
- Higher net levels improve your odds of landing larger, rarer specimens.
- Species at Level 5-6 and above only yield high-star entries once your catching level matches or exceeds theirs.
- Completing five-star entries for milestone species counts rewards Moonlight Crystals and exclusive collection titles.
Gold Farming Route for Insect Catching
Bug catching is not the fastest gold source in Heartopia, but targeted runs on high-value species deliver consistent passive income. The most efficient daily circuit focuses on rare and weather-dependent species:
- Forest Lake Shore (Rainy or Rainbow) — target Beautiful Demoiselle and Stag Beetle.
- Whale Mountain Flower Field — Purple Emperor (afternoon/dusk, Sunny/Rainbow) and Splay-Footed Carpenter.
- Onsen Mountain Ruins — Giant Asian Mantis (any time, Sunny/Rainbow).
- Forest Jump Puzzle — Stag Beetle and Golden Jewel Scarab (Rainy/Rainbow).
- Fishing Village Wharf — Beautiful Leopard (night, Rainy/Rainbow).
Run this circuit during Rainbow weather whenever possible. The combined Sunny and Rainy spawn pools mean more rare species are active simultaneously, making each lap of the route more productive.
Top Tips for Filling Your Insect Journal Fast
- Never run near a target. Walking is mandatory. Even a brief sprint within detection range sends the bug fleeing.
- Check rainy sessions first. The Rainy and Rainbow spawn pools contain a disproportionate number of rare and high-value species. Skipping wet weather sessions leaves major gaps in your journal.
- Shake trees in Forest and Mountain areas. Some tree-trunk beetles can be knocked loose by interacting with specific trees, giving you catches that would not appear otherwise.
- Prioritize event insects. Apollo, Postman Butterfly, Chestnut Tiger, Crimson Marsh Glider, and Rainbow Stag Beetle are only available during the Bait the Insects event. Missing it means waiting for the next cycle.
- Warm up spawn pools before using the Attractor. Catching 2-3 common bugs near your chosen placement spot before activating the Inflatable Insect Attractor significantly improves the rare spawn rate within its radius.
- Match your net level to your target. Attempting Level 6+ species with a Basic Net produces mostly one-star results. Upgrade first.
For more hobby guides, tips, and strategies across all your favorite games, browse the latest guides at GAMES.GG to keep your progression on track.