Sand flotation was compared with layers of 1 and 2% (wt/v) agar for extracting Culicoides mississippiensis Hoffman larvae from samples of marsh soil. The 1% agar formulation extracted significantly fewer (P<0.001) larvae than the other 2 methods. In comparison with sand flotation, the 2% agar method produced overall a greater number of larvae, required less time to extract an equivalent number of larvae, was cleaner, and provided a quantitatively equivalent and less variable estimate of the total larval population.