The Pat Kenny Show Green Scene: The health benefits of outdoor schools
Nov 5, 2025
Dr. Ruth Freeman, Director of Research at Science for Society Ireland, shares fascinating insights on the intersection of ecology and health. She reveals how female stink bugs coat their eggs with fungus for protection against parasites. Transitioning to outdoor education, Dr. Freeman highlights a Finnish study showing that outdoor nurseries enhance children's immune systems and physical fitness. The benefits of nature exposure include reduced allergies and improved lung capacity, making a strong case for integrating more outdoor play in childhood education.
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Stink Bugs Cultivate Protective Fungi
- Female Asian stink bugs cultivate fungus on specialised hind-leg organs and smear it on their eggs.
- The fungal coat blocks parasitic wasps and becomes a mobile garden carried by hatchlings.
Observed Egg-Coating Behaviour
- Researchers observed females use their forelegs to transfer fungus from hind-leg organs onto eggs.
- Hatchlings then eat and carry the fungi, colonising their bodies as a portable garden.
Multi-Species Fungus Partnership
- The stink bug–fungus partnership involves several fungal species rather than a single symbiont.
- This multi-species cultivation is unusual compared with typical one-to-one symbioses in nature.