Mike PickerField Guide to Insects of South Africa: The most complete guide to South African insects (Struik Nature Field Guides)

This is a great reference for finding out about the insects that you discover while in Southern Africa. Whether walking in the bush, finding one clinging to the wall of your tent, or flying through the open window of your vehicle, this is the source for information on insects! I have carried this guide, along with others on mammals, birds, spiders, bats and plants on multiple trips to Africa, and this reference has always been of great assistance in identifying insects while in Africa. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone with even a slight interest in the insects of Southern Africa.

I appreciate the fact that I do not have to carry my hardcopy around with me and everything I require to Identify these little creatures is now available on one device. I can also include notes with the Afrikaans names, sightings, dates or anything interesting I want to add. It was also less than half the price I paid for the hardcopy a couple of years ago :-)

Bastante diversidad de insectos sudafricanos

If I'd had the Field Guide to Insects of South Africa by Mike Picker, Charles Griffiths and Alan Weaving when I was younger, this may have set me off down yet another rabbit hole in terms of amateur nature conservation. And despite the bewildering array of bugs, beetles, mantids and more that stalk between these pages, Insects is nonetheless presented in such a way that it is a handy guide to quickly identifying most of the creepy-crawlies you may encounter both at home and on your travels. Which is incredibly useful to someone like me who knows next to nothing about them.For quick reference, simple line drawings on the inside front- and back-covers help you decide whether you're looking at a mayfly or a cricket, after which you can page to the relevant section where clear photos and descriptions, along with range maps help narrow things down further. An introduction gives the basics for those who are new to delving deeper into the subject, not only brushing on the importance of insects and their defining characteristics, but looking at their life history and distribution patterns. A nice touch is also a glance at observing and collecting insects, including methods for capture, but also tips for preserving and presenting them and even photographing them. So this is very much the sort of book I'd gift to budding entomologists.Due to the vastness of the subject matter, it's simply impossible to for the authors to go into exhaustive detail about every single species out there while still having a book that can be packed in for a trip, but they do touch many species and mention, when applicable, that there are other, similar types creeping about if they don't have their own, discrete entry. This book is absolute gold, and has a permanent spot in my collection. If you love nature or gardening, Field Guide to Insects of South Africa is a must.

The pictures are the selling point for this book. Great photos and short descriptions are included for a variety of species from Southern Africa, as well as a distribution map. Even includes photos of mantophasmatodea. Although some of the species are also found in the US, there are many species represented that are native only to Africa. Hemiptera are well represented, and there are really nice photos of orthoptera insects.

While the book might be the best available at the moment, the kindle version is very disappointing! The index doesn't list page numbers, nor does it link you to the relevant pages. I know many common names of insects, but can't use the index to help me find the correct pages of the book! Also, the photo resolution quality is quite low, making it difficult to use the photos tho help you ID species using the photos of the larvae.

Great but there is a need to indicate the following for each insect:1. Danger to man2. Enemies3. Comparison of similar species in 1 picture.

The book is in excellent condition and I'm pleased to own it thanks