In Asheville, rodent problems follow the weather. Fall is the busiest season, when mice and rats that lived outside all summer look for warm shelter. Winter keeps them inside. Spring and summer shift activity outdoors, to gardens, compost, sheds and cabins, and young rodents spread out.
The best time to seal a house is late summer or early fall, before the first cold nights. This guide walks through the year and what to do at each point.
Why the mountains change the calendar
Asheville and the towns around it sit at roughly 2,000 feet and higher. Weaverville is at 2,146 feet, Arden at 2,218 and Black Mountain at 2,333. The coves and ridges around them go higher still. Nights turn cold earlier in the fall than in the Piedmont, and higher properties get colder sooner.
Woods surround nearly every neighborhood, and that keeps a large outdoor population of mice close to homes. The Mammals of North Carolina guide counts the white-footed deermouse as the state's most plentiful mammal by number of individuals and notes that it uses buildings in wooded areas.
Fall: the big push indoors
From September into November, the first cold nights send mice and rats looking for shelter. Kitchens, walls, attics and crawl spaces are warm and close to food. This is when most people first hear scratching in the walls or find droppings in a drawer.
What to do:
- Seal before it gets cold. Walk the house and close gaps of a quarter inch or more around pipes, wires, vents, doors and the garage door. NC State Extension says that is the size adult mice use.
- Check crawl space vent screens and the access door.
- Bring in birdseed and pet food stored in the garage, or put it in metal bins.
- Clean up fallen fruit and nuts, and clear spent garden beds.
- Move firewood away from the house before you start stacking it for winter.
- Set a few snap traps in the garage, basement and under the kitchen sink as early warning.
See how to get rid of mice in Asheville if they are already in.
Winter: settled in
Mice that got in during the fall stay for the winter and breed. Activity concentrates near heat: behind the refrigerator, near the water heater and furnace, around chimneys and in attic insulation over heated rooms.
What to do:
- Keep trapping until catches stop, and check traps daily.
- Watch for gnawed wiring in attics and crawl spaces.
- Check cabins and outbuildings that are closed for the season, and set fresh traps before you leave.
- After snow or ice, look for tracks along the foundation, which show where rodents are traveling.
Want the house sealed before the cold?
Your call goes to an independent rodent control provider serving Asheville and Buncombe County. Describe what you are seeing and ask for the plan and the price in writing before any work starts.
(828) 503-0038Tap to call · Free to callSpring: opening up
As it warms up, some activity moves back outside, and young rodents spread out to new territory. Spring is when cabins, campers, boats and seasonal rentals get opened, and people find what moved in over the winter.
What to do:
- Open closed buildings the CDC way: air them out for 30 minutes before cleaning, wear gloves and soak droppings with disinfectant before wiping. Never sweep or vacuum droppings. See deer mice in cabins and outbuildings.
- Check under the hood of stored vehicles and equipment for nests. See rodents in car engines and garages.
- Look for new burrows along foundations and under decks as the ground softens.
- Repair anything that winter freeze and thaw opened up, like cracked mortar and loose vent screens.
Summer: outdoor rats and garden season
Summer is when Norway rats are most visible outside. Gardens, compost, chicken feed, bird feeders and trash give them food, and creek banks and woodpiles give them cover. Heavy summer storms can flood burrows near streams and push rats toward buildings.
What to do:
- Keep compost closed and hardware cloth under it.
- Store feed and seed in metal bins.
- Keep trash in your city cart with the lid closed, and do not leave bags beside it. See our guide to Asheville trash and yard rules.
- Trim shrubs and ivy back from the foundation.
- Schedule an inspection and sealing job for late summer, ahead of the fall rush.
Storms and floods, any time of year
Flooding can happen in any season, and Hurricane Helene in September 2024 showed how big it can get. When floodwater fills burrows, rats move to higher ground, often into buildings. Pest Control Technology magazine reported that an Asheville pest control company saw more rodent calls after Helene, which its owner linked to wet ground and flooding. The CDC notes that leptospirosis risk often rises after hurricanes and floods when people touch contaminated water or soil. See rodents after flooding and Helene cleanup.
Frequently asked questions
When is mouse season in Asheville?
Fall through winter. Activity indoors picks up when nights turn cold and stays steady until spring.
When should I seal my house?
Late summer or early fall, before the first cold nights. That is when mice start looking for a way in.
Do rats come inside in summer too?
Norway rats mostly live outside in summer, but they move into crawl spaces and garages any time food and shelter are easy, especially after storms flood their burrows.
Do I need to check my cabin over the winter?
A mid-winter check helps. Set fresh traps when you leave and look for droppings each visit.
Do warm winters mean fewer mice?
Not necessarily. Mice that got inside in the fall stay as long as they have food and shelter, whatever the weather does.
Get a rodent technician on the phone
Free to call. You are connected with an independent provider serving Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County. Same-day appointments are often available.
(828) 503-0038Tap to call · Free to callSources
- NC State Extension: Surveillance and management of common structure-invading mice
- Mammals of North Carolina: White-footed Deermouse
- CDC: How to clean up after rodents
- CDC: About leptospirosis
- Pest Control Technology: PCOs recovering from Helene one day at a time (October 2024)