There was a strong feeling of anticipation in Pamela Mazur’s second-grade class at Eagleridge Elementary on Jan. 18. In just a couple minutes, students knew they would get to see the largest hornet in the world – the Asian Giant Hornet, a bee-killer that’s about the size of an adult’s thumb.

Cassie Cichorz, who does outreach on the giant hornet for the state department of agriculture, warmed up the students by asking them to guess the size of the hornet, if they have venom, or if they’re friendly towards people.

“I think they’re nice to you if you’re nice to them,” one student guessed. “If you try touching one, they won’t like it.”

Finally, Cichorz unveiled a dead Asian Giant Hornet, encased in liquid and displayed in a glass case. The kids in the class erupted: “Whoa!” “Cool!” “Ew!” Those visceral reactions kept coming throughout Cichorz’s presentation, whether she passed around a hornet larva or the heavy-duty suit she uses to protect herself from being stung. Arguably the biggest reaction from the students came when she told the students that some people eat hornet pupas as a delicacy.

Cichorz is visiting schools throughout Whatcom County – including multiple Ferndale schools – to educate students about the Asian Giant Hornet, which has appeared in the region and concerned experts. The invasive species eat honeybees and destroy their hives, and because those bees pollinate plants, the hornets could indirectly harm agriculture.

To help the students understand how powerful the Asian Giant Hornet is, she compared it to another apex predator animal all kids know.

“Does anything eat a lion? No!” Cichorz told the class. “The lion is the top of the animal world; these are the top of the bug world. No other bug can eat these hornets.”

Educating students on the threat of the giant hornet – and telling them what they should do if they see one – is the main reason for Cichorz visiting Whatcom classrooms.

“The hornets are in their backyard, and as part of our program for eradicating them, we ask the citizens to respond,” she said after the presentation.

Cichorz made it clear to her audience of second-graders that students should leave a giant hornet alone if they see one, then immediately tell an adult.

“This is where you help me do my job: you tell the adults if you see them,” she said. “That helps me figure out how I can get rid of them.”

Cichorz also used her platform to educate students about potential career paths. Not only did she tell them they could eventually work with bugs as adults, like her, but she also reminded them that they could become teachers, or even the graphic designers who made the hornet display she used that day.

Mazur, one of many Eagleridge teachers who hosted Cichorz that day, said the presentation was well-timed. Her class had already been learning about insects, and the critical role of honeybees in the pollination process, she said.

“I’m glad that we could do this,” said Mazur. “I think bees are so important to our environment."