A study was initiated in 1980 to compare data obtained with a standard larval dipper and a static quadrat device (0.1 m2) regarding the species composition and seasonal abundance of mosquitoes that inhabit Louisiana rice fields. Emphasis was placed on reducing sample variability to provide accurate and efficient estimates of larval mosquito populations. Homogeneous trends in populations growth were exhibited by both sampling techniques. Statistical analyses were conducted to quantify the relationships between absolute densities (number of preadult mosquitoes/unit area of 0.1 m2) and dipper sample values for larval populations of Psorophora columbiae and Anopheles crucians. From these relationships, models were derived to estimates larval densities from mean dipper values. Statistical comparisons of the data indicated that the area sampler technique was not only less variable and more efficient at detecting larvae at low abundance levels but that more larvae/unit sample and a greater proportion of early instar larvae were collected than with the dipper. The limiting feature of the area sampling device was the amount of tedious labor required to obtain and process collections.