AbstractAn account is given on aspects of the egg stage of the spur‐legged phasmatid Didymuria violescens inhabiting mountain ash forest. At 21‐23°C and 45% RH, fertilized egg embryos matured more rapidly than those unfertilized, but most eggs failed to hatch, suggesting that diapause in fully grown embryos (pharate nymphs) is not generally terminated near room temperature. Freshly laid eggs remained healthy under constant high temperatures and associated drying effects for 2 weeks, but desiccated during 4 weeks of exposure.AbstractOverwintering of partly developed eggs in mountain ash forest resulted in substantial hatching during spring/summer following oviposition, so that winter chilling appears to eliminate diapause in pharate nymphs. The viability of field‐oviposited eggs declined substantially within 2 years in litter, especially in those unfertilized and laid late in the season. Hatching occurred predominantly in fertilized eggs and mostly between October and February following the second winter, with peak emergence during mid‐November and December.