Bug collecting

Bug Catching was first introduced in The Sims 2: Seasons, allowing Sims to catch butterflies and fireflies. The Sims 2: FreeTime allows the catching of bugs and adding them to a collection. The Sims Castaway Stories and the DS version allow the player to gather bugs, to either eat, trade and keep and collect. The Sims 3 also features collecting butterflies and beetles. The Sims 3: Into the Future features robotic bugs called nanites.

Bug Catching
Butterflies may appear during the day and fireflies may appear in the evening. A Sim can try to catch a butterfly or firefly in a jar by clicking on the tile where they appear. It may take several tries before they catch one. Once one is caught, Sims can view them inside the jar or release them. If they are left in the jar they will eventually die.

A Sim may have wants to hunt butterflies or fireflies, but the want will not be fulfilled until the Sim actually catches one.

With FreeTime, trying to catch butterflies or fireflies will build Nature enthusiasm, as will viewing captured ones. Also, Sims who catch butterflies might occasionally put them in their bug collection.

Bug Hunting
There are three types of bugs a Sim can catch: Beetles, Butterflies and Spiders. To catch bugs, click on an area outside and select "Hunt Bugs". Sims will continue this action indefinitely but will not always catch anything. Once a Sim catches a bug it will be placed in their collection box, which can be found in their inventory. Players can view the collection by placing it on the lot and selecting "View". When Sims go hiking, they might catch a bug. If they already have that bug in the collection, they'll release it. A Sim must have at least level 8 enthusiasm in the Nature hobby to be able to collect all of the bugs.

A Sim with Nature enthusiasm may have a want to hunt bugs, but the want will not be fulfilled until the Sim actually catches a bug.

If a Sim hunts bugs for very long, it will have a strong effect on his or her hygiene. If a PlantSim hunts bugs, it will affect his or her water motive. Occasionally, a Sim who is hunting bugs will be chased by bees.

Collections

 * Notes
 * There is a bug that prevents Sims from finishing the bug collection. This was fixed in the FreeTime patch, but broken again in Apartment Life. This mod fixes the bug.

The Sims 3
Butterflies, beetles, and nanites are also collectible in The Sims 3.

Butterflies

 * Notes
 * Since Patch 31, butterflies will no longer spawn at night, and they will be replaced with fireflies.
 * There is a glitch with the Firefly Collector challenge, in which the challenge could not be completed even if a Sim has caught all 8 types of fireflies. This is due to the fact that the Firefly Collector challenge is a duplicate of the Butterfly Collector challenge, which requires 10 types of butterflies to complete.
 * There is a glitch with the Firefly Collector challenge, in which the challenge could not be completed even if a Sim has caught all 8 types of fireflies. This is due to the fact that the Firefly Collector challenge is a duplicate of the Butterfly Collector challenge, which requires 10 types of butterflies to complete.

Trivia
Plasma Bugs are a reference to the giant, plasma-shooting alien insects of the Starship Troopers movie.

Nanites
Nanites are robotic bugs featured in The Sims 3: Into the Future. They can be found in Oasis Landing. Unlike butterflies and beetles, Sims can design and create them; doing this requires Reventlov's Bot Workshop. Designing and creating a nanite increases the Bot Building skill. Nanites can also be reverse engineered.Reverse engineering a nanite lets a Sim learn how to design it, and may yield empty processors.