They are the stuff of nightmares - tiny monsters that suck your blood as you sleep.

Bedbugs were virtually wiped out in the Eighties but the boom in backpacking holidays - especially to South-East Asia - has led to a resurgence.

Hostels, particularly those which cater for travellers, are becoming infested with bedbugs which nest in sleeping bags and suitcases, appearing at night to prey on their victims.

But help is at hand in the shape of Craig Davies, a pest detective who has devoted his life to destroying the bloodthirsty mites.

Craig, 25, from Ringmer, near Lewes, became obsessed with bedbugs after an unsuccessful career in sales.

He said: "I used to be a photocopier salesman but, to put it bluntly, I didn't sell any photocopiers.

"Then I saw an advert inviting people to train as pest controllers and I thought, why not?

"I've always been interested in insects and they don't make me squirm at all. I love my job."

Craig set up his own company, Sussex Pest Control, 18 months ago.

He specialises in bedbugs but also deals with rats, birds, woodworm and other creepy-crawlies.

He said: "You could say I have the golden touch with bedbugs. They definitely don't like me."

In recent years, he has seen an increase in the number of infestations in Sussex.

He said: "There are about four or five hotels or hostels in Brighton which have had major problems.

"I can't name them but people soon find out and don't go back.

"The reason you get bedbugs in the UK is because holidaymakers or students doing a gap year bring them home inside their luggage.

"I always ask my customers where they've been and it's usually around Singapore."

He said some hotels were on the phone to him as often as once a week.

"They save up their rooms so I can do a few at a time. I've done some really horrible dives and half the time the owners don't seem to care."

The Argus did a spot check on the state of hotel and hostel sheets in Brighton and Hove.

Clinton Butler, of Baggies Backpackers in Oriental Place, where beds start at £12 a night, said: "We were quite worried at one stage. Some of the other backpackers had problems and we thought the bedbugs might come here but so far we've not had any problems."

Sally Walker, manager of Brighton Backpackers in Middle Street, said: "When we took over a year ago we had the place sprayed.

"When you get people coming in and out all the time you can't check through their stuff and ask them personal questions about where they've slept.

"The world is far more accessible and more people are travelling. With central heating and lots of bodies in the same room, it's just one of those things."

Caroline Prosser, marketing executive at the Grand where a single room costs from £170 a night, said guests had not reported any instances of bedbugs.

She said: "We haven't noticed any problems. Our rooms are cleaned thoroughly every day."

After eight years as a pest controller, insect bites are an occupational hazard for Craig.

But he has also been bitten by the travel bug.

He has visited more than 60 countries and his first-hand experiences of bugs reassures customers he knows what he is dealing with.

He said: "I like to go out of the tourist spots and stay with families who I've met via friends or on the internet. You do get to see a lot of pests that way.

"Only certain people seem to get bitten but unfortunately I used to get bitten from head to toe."

Compared to some of his previous jobs, dealing with bedbugs is enjoyable.

He said: "I used to have a contract with a company to kill the maggots that came out of dead bodies. When you've seen that, bedbugs don't really bother you.

"My work does make people squirm but most are just curious more than anything. They sometimes call me the pest detective and customers call me the bug man.

"You always get the same joke about five times a day though. When you go to a house they say 'We've got a pest over there,' and point at their son or something. It's not very funny any more."

The number of cases Craig deals with in private homes is relatively low.

Brighton and Hove City Council said the number of reported cases had fallen in the past four years.

Last year the council's pest control team was called out to 16 houses but so far this year there has not been a single case reported.

It normally takes about 45 minutes to spray a room and ten days for the problem to disappear but Craig says the bugs are becoming more resistant to insecticides.

In the meantime, he recommends using tiger balm to stop the itching.

He said: "When I went to Malaysia I bought ten tubs of the stuff. It works wonders."

Craig said the job that gave him the most satisfaction was dealing with wasps.

"I like the thrill. You've got to get up there and spray the queen and then all the little buggers come rushing at you and you nearly fall off the ladder. I once saw a nest that was almost as big as a car."

Luckily, his injuries so far have been minor.

He said: "The most I've had is 15 stings and a ladder fell on my head once. I've had rats climb up my trousers but I've never been bitten by them. I'm just careful."

Craig is worried people may see him in a bad light when they find out how he makes a living.

He said: "A lot of people think pest control involves being an evil so-and-so stamping on rats' heads.

"I'm not like that. I love life and animals. I respect everything and would never stamp on anything."

To enlist Craig's help if you have a problem with bedbugs, email craig@sussexpestcontrol.com