- "You put a Bug in the bottle! You can release it by pressing (C). This kind of bug prefers to live in small holes in the ground."
- — In-game description
Bugs are creatures from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. These small insects are commonly found under rocks, bushes, and boxes, but they are known to appear out in the open on rare occasions.
Bugs may be used to unearth Gold Skulltulas from patches of Soft Soil if they are released in one's direct vicinity. When released near a wall with a hole in it identical to a patch of soft soil, or near a regular patch of soft soil which contains no Gold Skulltula, they will crawl inside and leave behind some Rupees. When a bug is released from its bottle, two more bugs are released alongside it; since all three bugs can be recaptured, this essentially provides Link with an endless supply of bugs. Bugs cannot be recaptured when released near soft soil, however, as they burrow into the soil and remain hidden.
Appearances[]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
In addition to being caught from various places, bugs can be purchased from potion shops for 50 Rupees. Bugs may be used to unearth Gold Skulltulas from nine of the ten patches of soft soil found in Hyrule; the exception being the one situated next to Bean Seller near Zora's River. Using the replicating bug trick, bugs provide Link with a quick and efficient source of income; for each bottle with a bug inside, the Beggar - found in Hyrule Castle Town when Link is a youth, or in Kakariko Village when an adult - pays Link 50 Rupees. If Link has all four bottles available in the game, he can sell three bottles of bugs to the Beggar, leaving the last for replicating three more bottles' worth of bugs, a process which can be repeated indefinitely. This can also be done, albeit with lesser efficiency, with two or three bottles, should Link not have obtained them all.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
Bugs may be used in the Swamp Spider House to uncover Gold Skulltulas from patches of soft soil, some of which are found on walls. When released into other patches of soft soil, bugs will unearth Rupees. Bugs can also be sold to the Curiosity Shop for 20 Rupees.