Insects

Insects holds the bugs, grubs and worms that the character can forage and eat. The group runs from the Cricket and the Grasshopper to the Snail, the Slug, the Centipede and Termites. Each insect barely touches hunger, but some carry real protein. Eating bugs raises unhappiness by 20. Their bigger job is bait, for fishing and for bird traps. The best occupations for insects are the Fishing Guide and the Park Ranger. Each starts with the same Foraging skill.

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Best Insects

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Most calories	Slug		90 calories	/additem Base.Slug
Most filling	Caterpillar		-1 hunger	/additem Base.AmericanLadyCaterpillar
Longest fresh	Caterpillar		14 days fresh	/additem Base.AmericanLadyCaterpillar

Food Value

Every insect lowers hunger by 1. The calories and protein vary a lot. The Slug and the Snail each hold 90 calories and 17.41 protein. The Centipede and the Millipede each hold 60 calories and 15.21 protein. The Caterpillar holds 27 calories, 27.55 protein and 20.24 fat, the most protein of any insect.

The small bugs hold very little. The Cockroach holds 30 calories, the Grasshopper 25 and the Cricket 20. The Worm holds 3 calories, and Termites hold 2.5. Maggots and the Pillbug hold 1.5 calories each.

Insects weigh almost nothing. Most weigh 0.1, and Maggots, the Pillbug, Termites and the Worm weigh 0.01. A pocketful costs nothing in carry weight, so they suit a hungry start in the wild.

Cooking and Freshness

Every insect cooks in 5 minutes. Cooking raises the small hunger value by 1.3 times. Four insects carry the warning "Dangerous uncooked." These are the Centipede, the Millipede, the Slug and the Snail. Cook them before eating.

Insects stay fresh a long time. Most stay fresh for 14 days and rot after 21. The Slug, the Snail and the Worm spoil faster. They stay fresh for 4 days and rot after 8.

The Snail also goes into a Stir Fry. Each insect raises unhappiness by 20 however it is eaten, so pair them with food that lifts the mood.

Bait

Every insect works as a fishing lure. The Cricket, the Grasshopper, the Cockroach, the Centipede, the Millipede, the Pillbug, the Caterpillar and Termites count as insect lures. The Worm and Maggots count as worm lures. The Slug and the Snail count as leech lures, alongside the Leech.

Insects also make chum. Chum takes up to 10 bait items, and any insect counts. The Fishing Guide occupation knows Make Chum Base from the start.

Bird traps take insects as bait too. The Cricket, the Grasshopper, the Cockroach, the Worm and the Caterpillar all draw birds.

Foraging

Search Mode finds most insects. Insects turn up from March to November, with fewer in March and April. Any Foraging level finds them. Most come out at night, such as the Cricket, the Cockroach, the Centipede and the Millipede. The Grasshopper comes out by day. Snow hides the Cricket and the Grasshopper.

Rain brings out the slow crawlers. The Worm turns up at Foraging 0, and rain helps the search. The Slug and the Snail need Foraging 3, and rain helps them too. They also come out at night, from March to November.

Digging turns up worms as well. Each time a shovel fills a bag with dirt, there is a 1 in 5 chance of finding a Worm.

Locations

Insects live outside. Forests, farmland, trailer parks and town lawns all hold them. Organic forests hold the most crickets, and open vegetation holds many grasshoppers.

A few turn up indoors. Trash bins hold the odd Cockroach and Maggots.

Notes

• Keep a few insects for fishing bait, since the hunger value is tiny.
• Cook the Slug and the Snail first, since both are dangerous uncooked.

All Insects