Rodent Control in Asheville, NC

The rodents Asheville homes see

House mice are the indoor rodent, active all year. They nest in wall voids, in attics, in the insulation behind appliances, and they travel the same runs every night — along walls, behind the stove, through the pantry. A mouse can enter through a gap the width of a pencil, which is why the entry-point survey is the heart of the work.

Roof rats and Norway rats are less common in the mountains than in the lowlands, but they turn up — roof rats in attics and upper voids, Norway rats in basements, crawl spaces and around foundations. Both are larger, bolder and harder to trap than mice, and both need a different plan. Flying squirrels are the autumn surprise in Asheville attics: small, social, and noisy at night in the walls. They are wildlife, not pests in the usual sense, and the work is exclusion — sealing the entries after they have left — rather than trapping indoors.

What the inspection covers

The inspection follows the evidence. Droppings are identified to species — mouse droppings are small and pointed, rat droppings are larger and blunt — and the runs are mapped: the line along the basement wall, the rub marks at the garage door corner, the route from the crawl space to the pantry. The attic, the crawl space, the garage and the roofline are checked for entries: gaps at the eaves, vents without covers, gaps where pipes and wires enter, the garage door seal. The pantry and the kitchen are checked for food sources, because a mouse that has found the pantry will not leave for a trap.

How rodent control works

The work has three parts, and trapping is only one of them. First, the food and the water are dealt with: food sealed in hard containers, pet food picked up at night, the pantry cleared of open packets. Second, the entries are sealed — steel wool and sealant for small gaps, metal flashing for larger ones, vent covers and door sweeps where they are missing. Third, traps are set on the runs the inspection mapped, and checked on a schedule the provider sets. The trapping is the short part of the job; the sealing is what keeps the next mouse out.

Autumn is the busiest season for rodent calls in Asheville. As the weather turns, rodents move indoors for warmth and food, and the attics and wall voids fill up. A visit in early autumn — sealing the entries before the move indoors — does more than a visit after the scratching has started.

The problem and the solution

Keeping rodents out

Seal the gaps: around pipes, at the door thresholds, where utility lines enter, at the eaves and the vents. Keep food in hard containers with lids, and keep the pantry clear of open packets. Pick up pet food at night. Keep the garage door seal in good repair, and keep firewood and clutter away from the foundation wall. In the attic, keep storage in sealed bins rather than cardboard boxes, and check the insulation for nests when you are up there. A house that is sealed and has no open food is a house mice pass by.