Interesting! Looks almost like a cross between a fly and a wasp! I imagine he's some kind of predator bug. I'd email Baldo to see if he knows what it is.

I have never gotten Baldo to respond to emails.

Robber fly (Asilidae). The whole family is predatory, and they usually look like they mean business, although they're totally harmless to us humans (as long as you don't try to pick one up; if you physically handle one sometimes they may bite to make you go away). They're also totally indifferent to us. They're just more of the creatures we share the Earth with who don't know anything about us and don't care to.

Robber Fly???? How lucky am I??!!!! So was he hunting JB's from my strawberry bed?

Don't know if it's big enough or strong enough to hunt JB, but it eats insects.

Glad you asked this - I've seen these and wondered what they were, too.

Deanna