Ouchmyface
Image: Nintendo Life

Oh dear. Been shaking trees and bothering bees, have you? Or perhaps just harvesting wood for crafting? Fortunately, you're not doomed to forever wander your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island for eternity with a face full of wasp stings. In fact, you've got a couple of options for ridding yourself of unsightly stings if you insist on disturbing wasp nests and aggravating the wretched things.

Here we'll explain how to cure hornet stings and get that beautiful face of yours back to its good old self.

If you're after tips on how to catch wasps and other bugs, check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons bug guide and list. Fishy enthusiasts might find our list of all the fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons useful, too, including fish that will leaving your island soon and rare fish like the Golden Trout and the Stringfish.

How do you catch wasps in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

The easiest method to catch wasps without going on a Benny Hill-style run around your island is to always approach and shake trees from the 'South' and always have your bug net equipped.

If a wasp nest falls from the tree, your character will immediately turn and face it. All you have to do is press 'A' immediately and you'll catch them. Easy!

How do you cure wasp stings in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Oh SH
Image: Nintendo Life

However, if you've shaken a wasp's nest out of a tree and been caught by the blighters, worry not. The unsightly stings themselves don't affect gameplay in the slightest, although villagers will comment on your face before other conversation topics are available, so it's worth healing yourself up.

One way to rid yourself of a sting is to sleep it off. Simply save your game, come back the next day and your face will have healed beautifully. Still, if you want to cure wasp stings in Animal Crossing: New Horizons immediately, you'll need Medicine.

Owsers Trousers
Image: Nintendo Life

Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy any at the beginning of the game unless you have 400 Bells on you. If so, just head to Timmy at Resident Services or Nook's Cranny and get the Medicine that way.

However, why pay money when you can craft Medicine instead? Here's how:

  1. First things first, return to the the tree you shook and pick up the wasp's nest (you'll need it to craft the Medicine).
    Thankyouverymuch
    Image: Nintendo Life
  2. Now find an island resident milling around somewhere and talk to them. Taking pity on you, they will give you a Medicine recipe which you can use to craft a magical string-zapping ointment.
  3. You'll need a DIY workbench, so probably best head to Resident Services. Before using the recipe, you'll have to learn it, so press 'X' to open your inventory, select the recipe and get studying.
  4. With the recipe 'memorised', head to the workbench and select the Medicine to craft. You'll need the aforementioned wasp nest and 3 clumps of weeds (easily found around the island).
  5. Once you have the requisite materials, craft them and — bish-bash-bosh — you'll have the Medicine you need! Remember, you can tap 'A' while crafting to speed things up.
    Zoink
    Image: Nintendo Life
  6. Obviously the Medicine will have little effect if you don't actually take it, so open your inventory to find it and use it. Congratulations! Whether ointment or oral, it sure does the trick and your face will now return to its normal fabulous form. Job done.
    Take Medicine
    Image: Nintendo Life

How do I avoid wasps in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Well, the easiest way is not to shake their nests out of trees. Still, with trees hiding a lot of useful materials, from items to Bells to pieces of timber, you're likely to have many run-ins with them. Your options for dealing in them are fourfold:

  • Stand there and take it like the nasty tree-shaking bee botherer you are. Then follow the steps above.
  • Run away and take refuge in a tent, house or building.
  • Whip out your bug net and catch the wasps with a well-timed swipe. Mess up the timing, though, and you can probably guess the consequences.
  • It turns out that swarming wasps don't like to party. Keep a party popper with you at all times (purchase them from Timmy & Tommy at Nook's Cranny) and disperse the swarm with one thusly:

We hope this helped restore your face to its former glory. Also, we know wasps and bees are very different; bees are beautiful, bumbling, docile creatures and wasps are minions of Beelzebub himself.

Of course, you could always just not bother the poor creatures in the first place! Let us know if you've learned from your mistakes in the comments below.

This article is part of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons walkthrough, which includes a Complete Fish List, Complete Bug List and Complete Sea Creatures List. If you're looking for specific fish or bugs, we can tell you how to catch the elusive Coelacanth, Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, Stringfish, Golden Trout and all the Sharks and Beetles, along with a full list of critters leaving at the end of the month (unless you visit Kapp'n's Boat Tour islands, of course!).

We can also help with How to Spot Redd's Fake Paintings and Statues, How to Make Bells Fast, How to Breed Flowers, How to Get more DIY Recipes, How to Upgrade Nook's Cranny, where and when to find special characters like Gulliver, Sable, Label, Wisp, Celeste, Pirate Gulliver and Jack, plus tips on using the Star Wand, Tool Ring, Rock Trick, Cutting Down and Moving Trees, using amiibo on Harv's Island, How to Back Up Your Island Data, How to Time Travel, How to Get a 5-Star Island Rating and a whole lot more.

If it's new content you're looking for help with, we can help you find gyroids, unlock Brewster's café, use the new Pro Camera App for selfies, enact new ordinances, get the beloved Froggy Chair, and even learn How to Cook.

And finally, Where to Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch, if for some reason you haven't yet picked up the game, and How To Buy The Happy Home Paradise DLC, too!