Duo uses new technology to rid Corridor of bed bugs

A new pest control business is using a non-toxic, chemical-free approach to help rid area homes and businesses of bed bugs.

Jason Rogers and Frank Stephen opened BedBug Chasers in early July. The two are using an indoor convection heating system, developed in New Jersey, to kill bed bugs and eggs.

The heat treatment can penetrate boxes, storage cartons, walls and box springs, killing bed bugs more efficiently than chemical treatments.

The portable heater is hooked up to a generator, which allows the system to heat up 122 degrees quickly. Rogers said this is a more effective way of killing bedbugs because the creatures can sense heat and move at about 7 feet a minute.

Rogers, a real estate broker and investor who specializes in multi-family housing, said he came across the BedBug Chaser while researching methods to get rid of a tenant's bedbug infestation. After he saw that the business didn't have a presence in Iowa, he spoke with Stephen and the two decided to open a franchise.

They purchased six heaters and a 140 kilowatt generator and were ready to go, visiting clients last week.

The partners plan to work with homeowners, hotels, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and property managers in the Corridor and across the state and eventually expand into Illinois. Rogers said they are also pest management partners, which means they can be sub-contracted by other pest control companies in the state.

The Cedar Rapids/Waterloo area has landed on Orkin's annual list naming the top 50 cities with the most bed bugs in 2011 and 2012. Des Moines was on the 2011 list.