Dragon Dragonfly, Will-o-the-Wisp, Dust Spirits, and Rainbow Fireflies
The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Game Pack allows you to attempt to complete the Insects Collection via visits to Granite Falls National Park. While there, you will find crawling and flying insects are able to be found, although some may only appear at certain times of day. The collection can be quite difficult to complete due to the number of common insects and the time-of-day factor. Completing the Insects Collection will earn your Sim a plaque.
Some Bugs Crawl on the Ground...
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...while others Fly. Availability also Varies by Time of Day
Tips for Catching Bugs While searching for Insects, keep in mind that there are two types: crawling and flying. The best way to look for them is to keep the camera near a Sim's eye level so that you can better see around the many trees of Granite Falls. Do not pause the game while seeking them, because it is easier when you notice the movements. If you're missing an insect found only during day/night, then do something else to pass time unless you're collecting them to earn money.
Outdoor Retreat Insects List
Dust Spirits, like Will-o-the-Wisp above, are only found at Night
This should be of help to determine what insects are missing from your collection. Special Thanks to SkellySpades on TheSims.com Forum for helping to compile this information. See notes below as some of this info on times and where to find the bugs will be refined as our understanding grows.
Insects List
Insect
Rarity
Value
Time*
Where Found**
Bee
Common
$4
Morning, Afternoon
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Blue Morpho Butterfly
Common
$4
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Fire Ant
Common
$3
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Firefly
Common
$4
Night
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Jezebel Butterfly
Common
$3
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Katydid
Common
$4
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Ladybug
Common
$4
All Times
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Luna Moth
Common
$4
Day, Night
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Mosquito
Common
$4
Day, Night
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Stink Bug
Common
$4
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest
Termite
Common
$3
Day, Evening
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Dragonfly
Uncommon
$15
Day
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Jewel Beetle
Uncommon
$15
Day
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Locust
Uncommon
$15
Day
Campgrounds, Forest
Mantis
Uncommon
$15
Day
Campgrounds, Forest, Deep Woods
Monarch Butterfly
Uncommon
$15
Day
Forest, Deep Woods
Walking Stick
Uncommon
$12
Day
Deep Woods (Herb Garden)
Dragon Dragonfly
Rare
$600
Day
Deep Woods (Waterfall)
Dust Spirit
Rare
$200
Evening, Night
Forest, Deep Woods
Rainbow Firefly
Rare
$75
Night
Forest, Deep Woods
Will-o-the-Wisp
Rare
$150
Night
Forest, Deep Woods
*Note on Times We'll refine these when we find more information about the specific hours insects are available. For now, this should at least help you sort out what ones are available only at night and during the day.
**Note on Catching Bugs While we may find an insect in one place, it may not be there when you visit in your game. Re-visiting an area on another day, you may find that insect. None of these are exclusive to one area, and you may find bugs in places other than those listed.
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It is always located on the far side of the waterfall fishing area near the Rangers hut in the National Forest lot. Usually during the day around midday.
I can't find Monarch butterflies, Walking Sticks, or Dragon Dragonflies to save my life...Also, when you say herb garden in the deep woods, do you mean the garden near the hermit hut, or the rock garden?
Hello Carl. I'm having 1sim finish all the collections. I see there's decorative eggs in the collections but can't seem to find any more information on them. Have you covered that and I'm missing it? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Rita
The decorative eggs was around during easter time, you could loot them in any other collective's place so a bit like a real easter egg hunt, you keep looting collectables until you had all the eggs. I suspect they will be back round easter time next year again.
Just got fireflies at 10:15am in the hermit secret garden, behind the herb garden in the gap between the big tree on its own pn the right and the rocks and plants on the left.
Is it possible that mosquitoes are bugged? I can't find them anywhere, and I've found everything else :/ (Blue Morpho Butterflies, Bees and Stick Insects were bugged for a while, but they've since been fixed).
I haven't seen any bug reports saying they're bugged! (Pun!) You should be able to find them during the day around the Campsite and National Park areas. What time of day have you been looking?
I've been searching day and night (mostly around the camp site) with no sign of them. Can you tell me a specific spawn location? That might help? I've tried using 'set as head' which switches out the bugs, but they appear in groups:(ladybugs, fire ants, bees, Jezebel butterflies) (Fireflies) (Termites, stink bugs, katydid)And I guess the uncommon/rare ones have their own groups.
I can't tell you spawn locations as I don't have that info. But mosquitoes are common so resetting the spawners by even just catching the current displayed bug should eventually produce them. I've always assumed that fireflies and mosquitoes were both on the common spawner. Obviously not! The campsite is definitely the best place to see them. Maybe this is a new 'unreported' glitch? I'll spend game time on this today, meantime I hope you solve this but either way I'll post back in a few hours with my results.
ok.. so I've posted my results on the forum as there is more room! Forum Link for you
The main bug I'm still trying to find & catch is the termite. I've searched & searched without finding them for days. Can anyone give me more clues on what to look for? I'm assuming they'll be brown & crawling near trees. Anyone know of a spot or time that works best? Thanks much!
The termites are actually white! I usually find them in the Forest area (the lot with the Rangers Hut) near where the 'tunnel' is that takes your sim to the Hermit's Area.
Does the day of the week have any impact on what insects appear? I hope not on Mondays. I am trying not to get my sims to go on vacation as the Bills glitch will cause them to be hit with an extra large weekly bill. I think Putdoor Retreat is probably the buggiest expansion pack.
No days of the week don't matter but sometimes you have to take your sim back home and then travel to GF again so that the area loads in fresh. Catching the bugs is indeed buggy (pun) But I do share your frustration. Just remember that most of the insects can only be caught in certain areas, e.g. termites in the Forest.
Generally the bee can be found directly outside the toilet building in the campsite or sometimes in the back area behind the empty camp site that your sims can rent. I have also found them in the spawners close to the river. You have to be collecting the other insects so that the spawners can reset until the insect you specifically want shows up. Sometimes it helps to travel to another area (or even home) and then when your sim returns often the insect you want spawns in.
Just like plants , the bug spawners take some time to spawn in so you ahve to keep your sim in the area until that happens. The easiest location to find is very near the toilet block in the campgrounds. Once you see the insects spawning there you know the others will have to so you can start walking your sim around looking for them. Good thing is once you locate all the spawners they are always in the same place. Collect the bugs for new types to spawn in the same locations. The same applies for the other areas too, the spawners are always in the same place but will spawn a few different types of bugs each. So to collect all the types of insects will involve collecting many you already have just to clear the spawners.
Another thing to bear in mind is most bugs are small and can be hard to spot (unless they glow). The best thing to do to find them is keep your camera as low near the ground as possible and scan horizontally, rather than a top-down view.
Soooo I was just at the hermits house for three days searching for the soot spirits at night and only got the will o wisps (always in-between trees on the hills at 3 am). i gave up since i got one day left of vacation and just went back to the national park and then almost immediately saw the dust spirits out in broad daylight. 1:26 pm sat. might wanna let some others know about that!
I just want to reply to myself to say that I found a second (soot) dust spirit at 3 am in the national park (forest) for those who need help. they appear on the ground and hop.
Not really. The best way to see a variety of insects is to collect everything your sim sees, that way the spawners are reset. The insect that might show up in the morning in one game might make an appearance in the afternoon in another. It really is about resetting those spawners. Some insects do only come out at night but Carl has those indicated in the above table.
This page should explain that the bugs come from fixed spawners. More than one type of insect can some out of most of the spawners, but they don't just spawn anywhere/everywhere and/or change location because you travel. I've been able to catch way more bugs (for herbal remedies) once I figured this out and just set that spot with ctrl+5/6/7/8 so I can just keep checking the spawn locations while my sim/s hang out on that lot for a few days.
tbh I would have thought that most people realize the spawners are all in set locations and don't move as it is the same system throughout the game. Plants come from spawners, dig sites too and so on. it was the same way with TS3 and many other non simming games.
To me, this article implied the exact opposite. "While searching for Insects, keep in mind that there are two types: crawling and flying. The best way to look for them is to keep the camera near a Sim's eye level so that you can better see around the many trees of Granite Falls."
ok well... note taken. Thanks for the feedback. Keep in mind that Carl writes guides in such a way that does not spoil the game play for new players. It wouldn't really be much fun for someone who had just bought the pack if the exact locations of the spawners was laid out. Spawners do refresh after traveling away from the lot and back again. Often times if you simply can not get a particular insect to spawn traveling home and back again to Granite Falls will allow you to 'find' it. The locations chart is correct... you won't find the walking stick in the campsite area for example, that only spawns in the Hermits area and so on. However the jewel beetle also shares the same spawner so you will either have the walking stick spawn or the beetle.
Help I can't find walking stick I sent my son there in morning & stayed all-day & no insects have appeared anywhere in deep forest hermit area. It's last last insect I need to complete collection
Sometimes all you can do is leave the area, take your sim home and then save and quit your game. Next delete the localthumbcache.package file from your The Sims4 folder. Take your sim back to the hermits area and then collect all newly spawned insects until the walking-stick spawns. The walking-stick spawns in the same place (spawner) as the jewel beetle so be sure to always collect them to reset the spawner.
If it is the jewel beetle they are found in the area where the Hermit lives. They spawn from the same spawner that the walking stick insect comes from so you have to live in the hermits area for a bit collecting the insects every time they spawn which increases the chance that the next spawn will be the one you want..the jewel beetle. Also sometimes the RBG on the spawners just doesn't seem to work, in that case take your sim home and save the game. Quit and then delete the localthumbcache.package file that is found in your TheSims4 folder. Reload the game, go back to the Hermit's Area and start collecting the bugs every time they spawn again.
The insects should be spawning outside the toilet block, near the 'beach' lake front, near the large camping statue. Unless the last patch has broken something there are literally insect spawns throughout all the Granite Falls maps. Make your sim walk the perimeter maybe by clicking the ground some distance away and make your sim go there, follow them as they walk and keep your camera around sim eye-height and you should start to see them. If your game is paused you often won't see them.
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Comments (21)
Can you tell me a specific spawn location? That might help?
I've tried using 'set as head' which switches out the bugs, but they appear in groups:(ladybugs, fire ants, bees, Jezebel butterflies)
(Fireflies)
(Termites, stink bugs, katydid)And I guess the uncommon/rare ones have their own groups.
ok.. so I've posted my results on the forum as there is more room!
Forum Link for you
The same applies for the other areas too, the spawners are always in the same place but will spawn a few different types of bugs each. So to collect all the types of insects will involve collecting many you already have just to clear the spawners.
"While searching for Insects, keep in mind that there are two types: crawling and flying. The best way to look for them is to keep the camera near a Sim's eye level so that you can better see around the many trees of Granite Falls."
I have only been able to find the rainbow fireflys, same place, every time, but cant find any other insects!!
The insects should be spawning outside the toilet block, near the 'beach' lake front, near the large camping statue. Unless the last patch has broken something there are literally insect spawns throughout all the Granite Falls maps. Make your sim walk the perimeter maybe by clicking the ground some distance away and make your sim go there, follow them as they walk and keep your camera around sim eye-height and you should start to see them. If your game is paused you often won't see them.