My dad's back yard has become a deer camp. Now we are making it cool.

Assassin Bugs

A winged insect with a very long thin abdomen clinging to a mosquito net.

I am relieved to discover that half of the creatures I was accusing of being wasps or not actually wasps. They are assassin bugs, or robber flies.

These critters do not immediately assume that humans are a threat. So they don't go after people the way wasps do. They do deliver a bite to humans, but only if directly threatened.

They do actually prey on wasps, and assorted other flying creatures. I couldn't find any indication that they eat flies or mosquitoes, which is what I'd really like them to do. But eating wasps is good enough.

I even saw one site that said they can eat hummingbirds as well.