Ian Oki Fleming began developing Vulcan Pest in 2021 after struggling with a rat problem at his home in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. Fleming was working as an engineer in Silicon Valley and wanted a trap that could catch several rodents without requiring someone to empty and reset it after each catch. He began designing his own solution during nights and weekends away from his regular job.
Fleming developed a mechanical trap that attaches to an ordinary bucket. Rodents climb a ramp toward bait and step onto a platform that tips under their weight, dropping them into the bucket. The platform then resets for the next animal. He designed the device to accommodate larger rodents such as rats as well as mice, using a removable bait compartment and a mechanism that requires no batteries or electricity.
The project developed into Vulcan Pest, a business based in Los Gatos, California. Fleming brought the Multi-Rodent Catcher to market through the company’s website, selling it as a reusable trap that customers could attach to their own buckets. The device can be set up for live capture or lethal trapping, depending on how the bucket is prepared.
Demonstrations became part of the product’s marketing. The Multi-Rodent Catcher appeared on Mousetrap Monday, a YouTube channel hosted by Shawn Woods that tests rodent traps and shows how they perform. Vulcan also used videos of the mechanism in action to introduce the product to potential customers.
Fleming spent several years developing the business alongside his engineering career. In January 2026, he left his Silicon Valley job to work on Vulcan Pest full time.
