Mysterious garden visitor is likely Red Bug

Q:  We recently noticed some unusual bugs in the garden. They are just under about half-inch in length. The small ones are solid red but the big ones have backs with red and black markings that look somewhat like African masks. They’re really interesting, but they didn’t stay very long. Let me know what you think.
A:  I’m pretty sure that what you encountered is a bug that’s relatively new to North America. It’s native to the eastern Mediterranean, an