Ways for travellers to avoid bedbugs

Bedbugs are not picky about where they live, and can live anywhere from low-income apartments to high end hotels, advises Sean Rollo of Orkin Pest Control.

He warns travellers to be careful about accommodations when going on holiday.

"They can be anywhere from a one star to a five star, so when choosing accommodation when going away, (choose one) that's not going to play a role about whether bed bugs are there," he told CTV News.

The tiny pests feed on human blood while their hosts sleep, and can live in almost any area in a household, including mattresses, dressers and bedding, as well as cracks in walls, floors and electrical outlets.

They are a couple of millimetres in size and can be difficult to see.

Rollo suggests travellers who are visiting hotels look discerningly at mattress seams and look closely for bedbug feces, which look like tiny black pieces of pepper.

"Pulling back the sheets and taking a look at mattress seams, what you're looking for is like pepper sprinkled along the seams," he said.

Avoid unpacking clothes into hotel furniture, he says.

"Definitely one thing you don't want to do is unpack your clothes into the dresser inside," he said. "Your best bet is to keep your clothing zipped in your luggage or hang it up in the closet."

He also advises people to be careful about where they purchase household items.

"And if you're going (to garage sales), be careful. I'm not saying every item in a garage sale is going to be infested with bedbugs, but certainly there's the potential for it."

Rollo suggests certified pest control agents handle bedbug infestations in order to properly eradicate the pests.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Carrie Stefanson