Checking luggage for bed bugs when coming home from holiday could save people a lot of hassle once they return to their property, one organisation has said.
It is therefore worth taking a few minutes to see whether there are any creatures, which are about the size of an apple seed and have flat, rusty-coloured oval bodies, the Restoration Industry Association explained.
The group pointed out, however, that the bugs are not harmful to human health, but their bites can prove especially annoying and frustrating.
Bugs can easily crawl into the tiniest spaces, meaning they can hide everywhere from inside the tufts of mattresses to in and around bedside tables.
A recent study found that mattress pads are one of the main places where bugs hide, as they contain two million potential bacteria colonies.