The Memphis inventor of a popular bed bug tracker said the idea came to her while examining the underside of a dog food bowl.

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Susan McKnight, 59, whose online company, Susan McKnight Inc., sold 36,000 Climbup Insect Interceptors in September, up from 8,000 in August, said the devices are modeled after the bottom side of a dog bowl with two wells designed to catch bed bugs and determine their points of origin, The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Nashville reported Monday.

"Once bed bugs are established in a building, it's a very tedious and laborious process to treat for them," McKnight said. "This is an affordable means to monitor bed bugs. With these (interceptors) you can catch them early or post-treatment you can tell if you missed a spot."

McKnight said she hired three of her eight employees from Alpha Omega Veterans Services Inc., a non-profit that helps disabled and displaced veterans with support services and housing.

"It's really a blessing that Susan (McKnight) is willing to give us an opportunity," Anita Williams, 43, a former U.S. Navy officer and the first woman to participate in the program, told The Commercial Appeal.