What to do Praying Mantis Eggs

[Rogue11]

Hi,

The other say I was clearing out some brush in the back of my garden and when I cut up the branches for disposal I noticed two praying mantis egg sacks. I set those branches aside for now, but I am not sure what to do with them.
Winter has been rather warm here in California and it feels almost like spring right now. But it is still early and we could still get some chilly nights.
My question is, should I keep the eggs in a shady place for now to prevent them from hatching too soon, or does mother nature arrange it so that they will hatch at a certain time no matter how the weather is?

Thanks

Sylvia

[!potatoes!]

keep 'em off the ground as much as possible - that will reduce the chances of predation. if I find them on branches that need to be removed, I'll frequently cut off just the bit with the egg-case on it and tie it up in a tree or shrub near where it was.

not totally sure how they time hatching.

[nedwina]

In general, they need a week of 70 degree weather, and good humidity.

Keep them safe- there's nothing a critter or Blue Jay likes better than an ootheca snack.

[applestar]

I think taping or tying the section of stick the ooth is on, correct end up, is a good idea. It doesn't have to be the same spot if you want them to hatch near particular part of your garden. If you leave more than one too close to each other, the hatchlings will only end up eating each other.

Here are some photos of hatchlings in my garden from before:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=128383#128383

[PrincessE]

You could send them to me here in HI, lol. It's perfect weather and I'll take good care of them for you.

Wow Applestar, those photos are amazing. We had two egg sacks that we purchased last year and I wanted so badly to see them hatch and all the little babies. Didn't see either so I don't know for sure if they ever hatched.