Bed bugs can live on and in pillows, though they prefer to hide in mattress seams, box springs, headboards, and nearby cracks rather than on pillows themselves during day, and they come out at night to feed. Pillows provide hiding places in seams, zippers, and tufts, and bed bugs can hide there especially if pillows are on an infested bed. If you have bed bugs, they can be found on pillowcases as small rust-colored stains from crushed bugs or dark fecal spots that look like ink dots, and occasionally live bugs in pillow seams. However, bed bugs do not live on your body like lice, they hide in environment and come to feed for 5 to 10 minutes then return to hiding. Pillows can become infested if infestation is heavy or if pillows are stored near infested bed. To prevent and treat pillows, encase pillows in bed bug proof encasements with zipper that traps bugs and starves them over 12 months, wash pillowcases and pillows on high heat, and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes as heat above 120 degrees kills all stages. Do not throw pillows away immediately, as this can spread bugs. Inspect pillows with flashlight in seams. If you find bugs on pillows, it indicates nearby infestation in bed frame and mattress that needs professional treatment with heat and encasements.
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