Can They Live In Your Pillows?

Need to get rid of bed bugs? Read on to learn the answers to all of your important questions. Need help? Call our professionals today to get started.

Are There Bed Bugs In My Pillows?

The scary answer: possibly. Bed bugs are experts at hiding and they know exactly where to be to get close to their next meal. Bed bugs hide anywhere. From box springs, mattresses, baseboards, wallpaper, to any crack in your furniture, frames or tchotchkies. 

They don’t care where they hide, they just want to be as close to you as they can get without being found out. It doesn’t matter what kind of pillow you have, memory foam, feather, or regular pillows are all fair game for bed bugs.

Pillows are not the best place for bed bugs to hide, you might be happy to discover. While your pillow is certainly close to your skin and offers many good crevices and folds in which to hide, pillows are moved and disturbed often. If you find bed bugs in your pillows, it could be a sign of a severe infestation.

Bed bugs only do two things: eat and breed. 

They spend most of their life in hiding waiting to come out at night to eat and really only like to have to travel about 30 feet from their hiding spot to find their meal. But they will live next to any host so any kind of bedding will do. Duvets and comforters can also be great places for bed bugs to hide as well. Make sure to check your pets pillows and bedding for bed bugs as well.

Are Bed Bugs The Only Kind of Pillow Bugs?

Yes and no. While it can be pretty hard to find bed bugs without a magnifying device, the other kind of bug that lives in your pillows is impossible to see without a microscope. 

There are, in fact, millions of microscopic bugs that live in your pillows called dust mites. Dust mites, while technically not bugs but rather arthropods, feed off of our dead skin cells, so they do get their sustenance from humans, but they don’t bite like bed bugs. If you are experiencing bites from something you suspect is in your pillows, it’s not from dust mites. 

How To Kill Bed Bugs In Pillows

If you suspect you have bed bugs in your pillows, the first step to getting rid of them is to put your pillows in a sealed bag. From there you will want to put them directly into the washing machine and wash them on high with your usual detergent. 

Perhaps the most important step is to dry them in a dryer on high. The heat, along with the detergent and water, should help kill both bed bugs and their eggs. 

Call Pest Control Experts

Bed bugs are a serious problem. If you think that you have bed bugs in your pillows it could be a sign of a severe infestation. Serious bed bug infestations are notoriously difficult to eradicate on your own. 

Most infestations require a professional to perform inspections to find all the bed bugs and to use proper equipment and chemicals to get rid of the entire problem. If bed bugs are on your mind, don’t hesitate to call Pest Control Experts today.