INDIANAPOLIS -- After being nearly wiped out in the United States, bedbugs are making a comeback across the country, health officials say.

Pesticides like DDT devastated the U.S. bedbug population after World War II. But bedbugs from abroad have stowed away on the belongings of people traveling into the country, and the bloodsucking insects have become resistant to the pesticides.

Bedbugs like to infest mattresses and make people their midnight snacks, leaving their targets with itchy bite spots, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

"The bedbugs are strictly nocturnal, and they're going to come out and take blood meals after dark. Finding them in the daytime can be kind of tricky," said Michael Sinsko of the Indiana Health Department.

Bedbugs lay eggs during the day. Left unnoticed, they can create a colony within weeks, Matthews reported.

People whose mattresses have bedbugs can vacuum aggressively in tight spots, which is where the insects like to hide. People also can call an exterminator.