When it's scorpion season in the Northern Hemisphere in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and these little bugs are quite dangerous. Their 8,000 Bell sale price makes farming them worth it, though. Scorpions can be found from May to October (November to April for the Southern Hemisphere) between 7pm and 4am. They will spawn on flat, open areas, meaning that a highly decorated island will probably not yield too many scorpions.
While there is a scorpion mystery island that you can visit via Dodo Airlines, you can also make your own! It takes a bit of hard work, but afterward, you will be rolling in scorpions. This guide will teach you how to make a DIY scorpion island farm.
Updated on May 30, 2023: Selling scorpions is a profitable way to make bells in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so we've updated this guide on how to get scorpions to spawn on a Mystery Island for your benefit.
Head To A Mystery Island
Prior to leaving for a Mystery Island, you will need to prepare. Before you head to the airport, you should:
- Empty your inventory of everything besides your shovel, net, and axe.
- Make sure your shovel and net are still durable (consider bringing a few extras as well).
- Stock up on Nook Miles Tickets to visit a few different islands.
If your tools break, you can always chop down palm trees on the beach so you have enough materials to build a flimsy shovel and net.
Plus, you can purchase some tools from Wilbur.
After you are prepared, head to the airport and visit a Mystery Island!
Bamboo Island
Ideally, you will want to be on a bamboo island.
You may not arrive at one with your first ticket, but that's fine. Later, we will go over transforming some of the other mystery islands into a scorpion farm. For now, let's take a look at bamboo islands.
Clearing The Island
You've arrived at a bamboo island, and it's packed with weeds, flowers, and bamboo. To transform this lush island into a scorpion farm, you will need to remove everything.
Before scorpions will start spawning en masse, you need to:
- Chop down every bamboo tree and dig out their stump.
- Remove every flower (by picking, not digging them up).
- Pick every weed.
- Destroy any rocks (you'll need to eat some fruit to do this).
- Dig up any fossils or bamboo shoots in the ground.
The beach area will not spawn scorpions, so feel free to dump any materials here.
Additionally, you can eat fruits to dig the bamboo trees up and replant them on the beach.
Overall, make the island as bare as possible. Scorpions may still be able to spawn with flowers and weeds present, but they can also hide here. It's better to be cautious and remove everything to avoid any unnecessary scorpion bites.
Setting Up The Farm
If the island is bare, then scorpions will start appearing. Before you begin catching them, you should create a 'safe' zone. When a scorpion bites you, you will pass out and wake up next to Wilbur.
To avoid being bitten, all you have to do is dig holes in a small, enclosed area. Dig out an area, leaving the center clear for you to stand in.
Scorpions (and tarantulas) cannot jump over holes; however, if you stand at the edge, you will be able to catch them. Additionally, this area can be used to trap and safely capture scorpions that spawn inside. This method works for farming tarantulas as well.
Prevent Other Bugs From Spawning
Scorpions are not the only bug that can spawn on the island. There is a spawn limit, meaning that if other bugs are present, then there will be fewer scorpions for you to catch. These bugs will spawn on palm trees, on rocks near the water, and on the grass of the island.
To prevent this, be sure to chop down all palm trees. You should also run around the beach every few minutes to scare away wharf roaches. Tiger beetles may spawn on the grass, but you can scare them away by sprinting near them.
After clearing the island, setting up a safe zone, and scaring away all other bugs, you should be good to go! Scorpions will not spawn on your screen if you stand still, so do a few laps around the island until scorpions begin to spawn.
When other bugs spawn, scare them off again. This will continue to happen.
Other Island Variations
There are several different types of mystery islands, and you may not be able to visit a bamboo one. Fortunately, this method works for some of these other islands too. Overall, you will follow the same basic steps.
Remember, there are some unique islands that will only spawn specific items and creatures. These will not spawn scorpions, so if you end up at one, you can't build this farm. Islands that can't spawn scorpions include:
- Curly River Island: This island will only spawn water-related insects.
- Rugged Tree Island: This island only has pine trees, with no rivers.
- Hardwood Tree Island: This island will only give you hardwood from chopping trees.
When you arrive at a different type of mystery island that will spawn scorpions, begin clearing out weeds, rocks, flowers, and trees. Certain bugs can also spawn in the rivers as well. Try to clean up the area as much as possible.
A lot of mystery islands have multiple layers, making it harder to get around. Have your ladder readily available so you can quickly climb up or down a cliff.
Fill up your inventory with scorpions, which sell for 8,000 bells each. If Flick is visiting your island, he will buy them for 12,000 bells.