Here's my best advice and facts about mosquitos.
My suggestion is a closed system with nipples or drinker cups and you'll never have to dump or have mosquitos in your water again.
You can use cups, vertical or horizontal nipples in either a 5 gallon bucket, a PVC system or fed by plastic tubing. Don't use clear tubing outside or it will get algae in it.
I like this kind of drinker cup because you can twist them off and clean them with a swipe of your finger and twist them back on without losing any water
http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/Page435.htm
https://www.coopsnmore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1169
The drawback to those is they aren't for freezing weather which shouldn't be a big problem in your area
I use them with a cage bracket and just screw the bracket to the wall and use plastic tubing to supply the water from a barrel.
Vertical nipples are cheap but they can drip and if using a bucket you can't sit the bucket on the ground. They'll also freeze in winter.
http://www.amazon.com/Nipple-Drinker-Chicken-Feeder-Poultry/dp/B008AZTHNS
I've switched to horizontal nipples most places because it gets so cold here and if I heat the water I can use the system all winter
for the horizontal nipple you can drill holes in PVC pipe but the pipe needs to be at least 2" in diameter or the bend is too tight for the nipple threads to bite.
BYC member Rich sells them
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/100830/rich386
I use 1/2 " PVC pipe and the following tee
https://www.farmtek.com/farm/suppli..._schedule40_pvc_fittings;pgwf1270_WF1270.html
As for facts about standing water mosquitos.
The complete life cycle of standing water mosquitos takes place in
about a week under optimal conditions, or may take several months depending upon the species.
Those species of adult females mosquitos lay eggs on standing water.
After 1-3 days on the water surface, the eggs hatch into larvae depending upon temperature.
When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge. The larvae, commonly known as wigglers or wrigglers, live in the water. Most larvae suspend themselves beneath the surface of the water and breathe air through a tube at the tip of the abdomen. There they feed on microorganisms and particulates as they float by. As the larvae grow they shed their skin four times, growing larger with each molt, before becoming pupae. The duration of the larval period depends upon the species and the water temperature.
Under optimal conditions it can take only a few days. The larvae of some species breathe by attaching to aquatic plants. Those species spend months in the water.
After the last larval molt the mosquito becomes a pupa. Mosquito pupae live in the water and breathe air from the surface of the water through a pair of tubes on their backs. Although the pupae do not eat, they are very mobile and can move through the water with a flip of their abdomen. During this period the larval tissues change into the adult tissues.
The pupal stage lasts only a few days, after which the adult emerges from the pupal case on the surface of the water.
If they're dumped every other day, I wonder where the mosquito larvae are coming from.
Edited by Staff
Does anyone know of a safe way to prevent mosquito reproduction in the chicken waterer without hurting the chickens? I work part time so I don't have time to dump it out and clean it/refill it every day. Plus that would waste a ton of water..... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
